Lost And Found
by Alani
Summary: Lorne is reunited with someone he thought was gone forever but will things ever go back to the way they were? Sequel to Lorne's Sacrifice. Please R&R! FINISHED.
1. Prolouge

**ANGEL**

**LOST AND FOUND**

Lorne is reunited with someone he'd thought was lost forever. But will things ever be the same?

DISCLAIMER: The Angel Characters don't belong to me.

A/N: This takes place after _Lorne's Sacrifice_. Please read and review.

**PROLOGUE**

**PREVIOUSLY…**

" _There's something else," Lorne puffed as they jogged towards the cliff where they saw the clan take Abigail. " Something they have to do before she-" he was interrupted when a group of demons confronted them and he didn't have the chance to finish. _

" _Just go, we'll handle this." _

_Lorne could see Bailey and the leader taking Abigail up to the edge. A brilliant white light shimmered in the sky. _

_Angel and Spike started fighting the demons and Lorne hurried up to the cliff. Abigail turned, " Lorne!" she cried, and turned to the leader, " Please let me say goodbye to him. You owe me that much."_

_The leader hesitated. " Five minutes." He decided as the light grew brighter. " When the sky turns red, it's time." He said. _

_Lorne watched as Abigail stared down at the swirling white light. _

" _I'm scared," Abigail whispered as she looked over to see Angel fighting off the other demons who had wanted to prevent this from happening. There were two left and Spike had just decapitated one of them. _

" _But I know this is right." She continued, " If only the Imari gave us enough time," Abigail glared resentfully at the waiting Imari clan. She then put her arms around the empath's demon's waist and kissed him, " I love you Lorne." _

" _I love you too," Lorne told her, his heart breaking. He felt sick inside. He wanted to grab her and run but he knew this was her destiny. Nothing or no one can change it. He's tried. _

" _Time to go," Abigail said reluctantly and the portal grew even bigger. Lorne gripped the knife in his hand._

" _I'm sorry," he whispered._

" _What for? This is not your fault," Abigail replied as tears brimmed in Lorne's red eyes. _

" _I have to do this," Lorne said as he hugged her to him._

" _Do what?" Abigail asked. She yelped when she felt a sudden searing pain in her lower abdomen. There was more pain as the knife was jabbed in further. She moaned and swayed on her feet. She glanced up at Lorne, her vision blurry._

" _Lorne…why?" she cried as he yanked the knife out. Tears streamed down his face as she toppled backward into the portal. The portal shimmered then exploded into a brilliant bright light. He turned away for a moment before the light vanished. _

_Then everything went eerily silent. _

_Lorne stared at the bloody knife in his hand, not quite believing what he'd done. He dropped to his knees and covered his face with his hands. _

_Angel touched his shoulder, " Lorne I'm sorry." He said. _

_Lorne stood up and ran off._

~**~

Angel and Spike went back to Wolfram and Heart, minus Lorne. Angel figured the demon went home to grieve. Angel wanted to see him, he was worried about him.

" Is she…?" Fred didn't need to finish the question.

" Yeah, it's done." Angel replied sitting down. He had a few cuts from fighting the demon clan but they were nothing. Nothing compared to what Lorne was going through.

" How did it happen?" Wesley asked. He still couldn't believe his friend was dead. He should have been there….but only the demon kind were allowed to be near the place.

" Lorne stuck a knife into her gut, she fell into the portal, and it closed." Spike said.

" Lorne…killed her?" Fred went white. " Oh God, poor Lorne. What he must be going through. Where is he?"

" I think he went home." Angel said.

" I'll go and see him.." Fred jumped up but Wesley stopped her.

" It's best to let him be for awhile."

" But…he killed the woman he loved. He must be feeling…awful."

Wesley nodded in agreement and the group fell silent. Fred reached for the phone.

" I'll call him at least." She decided.

All she got was his answering machine. " Lorne? It's Fred. I heard what happened. I just want to know…if there's anything you need, call me. Or anyone." She hung up and looked around at the group. Then she finally let the tears come.

~**~

Lorne closed the door behind him. He had let his housekeeper go, telling her he wouldn't be needing her services anymore. Ava had insisted on staying but he refused. He didn't need the company, nor he wanted it.

He fixed himself a drink and went into the living room. He left the lights off as he sat in his favourite chair and looked over at Abigail's empty chair beside him. Never again would she sit in it and drink her favourite wine or read. The two things she loved doing.

Her life had been taken away. She had been taken away from him.

The phone next to him rang and he let the answering machine pick it up. It was Fred. So the group knows.

He finished the drink and fixed himself another. He dragged himself up the stairs and lay on the bed.

Lorne eventually let sleep overtake him.

~**~

Lorne jerked awake after dreaming what happened on the cliff. He had wanted to stay asleep, anything was better than staying awake.

He reached for his unfinished glass of Seabreeze but his hand was shaking so much, the glass fell from his hand and smashed onto the floor. He ignored it and went into the bathroom to find the sleeping tablets he used to take when he first started working at Wolfram and Heart. He found the bottle and popped two. He went back into the bedroom and lay down again. He rolled over onto his side and started to sob. Never again would he hold or kiss her.


	2. Chapter One

**CHAPTER ONE**

It was a few days later, the gang hadn't heard a word from Lorne and everyone was worried. Angel had tried to call because he kept getting harassed by Lorne's clients. Angel had to tell them all Lorne was on personal leave because of his girlfriend's death.

After a morning of killing some demons who had taken refuge downtown Angel returned back to Wolfram and Hart and headed for his office. He heard noises inside and frowned. It had better not be Eve. He was in no mood to deal with her.

He yanked opened the doors and was stunned to see Lorne rifling through his desk drawers, looking agitated,

" Lorne? What are doing here?" he demanded.

Lorne slammed the drawer shut and opened another. He looked through it and didn't find it.

" Lorne, what are you doing here?" Angel asked again. The demon looked up and Angel was shocked at how terrible he looked. His hair was unkempt, there were dark circles under his eyes and his red eyes were redder than usual. His clothes were wrinkled, like he slept in them.

Lorne glanced up, " I need Willow's number," he said and spied it. Angel's address book and grabbed it. He flipped to the R's and found her name.

" Willow? Why?" Lorne had met Willow a year ago when the witch had helped re-ensoul Angel.

" I got it." He scribbled the number on his notebook.

" You could have just called and asked for it," Angel said and Lorne tried to leave but the vampire blocked his way.

" Do you mind? I'm kind of busy here." Lorne said glaring.

" Why do you need Willow's phone number?"

" Because she bring back Abigail." Lorne said, " I need her back Angel."

" I know…but this isn't the way. Abigail's dead, nothing can bring her back." Angel pointed out.

" She didn't die a natural death! Buffy was the same. She was bought back and Willow can bring back Abigail."

He started to leave again but Angel grabbed Lorne's notebook from him, " I can't let you do this Lorne. You most of all know that messing with dark magics can have dire consequences."

" I don't need a lecture from you Angel," Lorne said, " You can talk."

" Willow won't do it," Angel said, " Not again."

" We'll see." Lorne said snatching his notebook back. He grabbed his cell phone and dialled Willow's number.

Angel listened as Lorne argued with the witch. Finally Lorne hung up on her and sighed.

Angel refrained himself from saying " I told you so" instead he just raised an eyebrow.

" I need her back Angel," Lorne said his shoulders sagging, " I miss her."

" I know you do Lorne. And I know you're not thinking straight either but breaking into my office?"

" I was kind of desperate." Lorne admitted.

" Do you need a ride home?" Angel asked.

Home. The big empty house. There was nothing there.

" No…think I'll go for a walk."

" There's something else we need to talk about." Angel hedged.

" Don't say it Angel-" Lorne interrupted and left abruptly.

Lorne was relieved he didn't bump into anyone else on the way out of the building. He needed a drink. A strong one.

~**~

" Hey Angel, what's up?" Gunn asked Angel when they all met for lunch. Fred looked around the group and sighed. It felt weird with Lorne not being there. She missed the kind green demon.

" Lorne was here." Angel said.

" He was? How did he look? What was he here for? Is he coming back to work?" Fred blurted.

" He looked terrible, he wanted Willow's number and he won't be coming back for awhile." Angel answered.

" He wanted Willow's number? Why?" Wes asked.

" To bring Abigail back," Fred said shocked and Angel nodded.

" But Lorne knows that messing around with dark magics is wrong," Gunn said.

" He knows that. He just misses her." Angel said. " He was really upset…I wanted to talk to him about the funeral but he left."

" The funeral arrangements…I nearly forgot about that." Fred said,

" To him it would mean she's really gone."

" Abigail told me what she wanted, in case Lorne was too upset about everything to deal with it." Wesley said, " since I've know her the longest."

" I think we should wait til Lorne wants to talk about it." Angel decided.

" How long will that be?" Gunn demanded, " He needs closure."

" We'll wait." Angel insisted.

~**~

Lorne stared into his glass before realising it was empty. He pushed it towards the bartender, " Another one please." He said.

" Sure." The bartender agreed. A human bartender in a demon bar.

Someone sat down beside Lorne, " Hey." It was a female voice. He looked up to see a female human. She was a petite blonde with green eyes.

" Scotch on the rocks please," she told the bartender. She studied the demon next to her, " You okay?"

Lorne looked over at her, " Is it any of your business?" he snapped. He didn't mean to but he was in no mood to talk.

The blonde ignored this, " You look as though you're best friend just died." She reached over and put a hand on his arm and stroked it suggestively, " Maybe Chrissy can ease the pain a little?"

Lorne removed her hand from his arm, downed his glass and stood up, " By best friend has died. I loved her more than anything in the world and I'm not interested in some cheap blonde who wants to sleep with the first demon she finds." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he can stop himself. He was shocked at himself.

" Cheap!" the blonde who called herself Chrissy glared at him, " You should be flattered that a human female has taken an interest in someone-no some_thing_-like you."

Lorne threw some money down and stalked out, as the blonde laughed nastily after him.


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

The next afternoon Lorne found himself back at the bar again. The bartender made his drink without Lorne asking for it. Lorne glanced up at him and realised something.

" You can read minds." He said to the bartender. The bartender was human. He paused than nodded.

" You're pretty messed up man…loosing your girlfriend like that. I'd be drowning my sorrows too." He said giving Lorne a generously sized Seabreeze.

Lorne just sat silently and ignored him, hoping the bartender would take a hint. He did and moved on to the next customer.

" Scotch on the rocks please," A voice said. Lorne glanced over and sighed. It was Chrissy.

" I'm surprised to see you back," Lorne greeted her, " after the way I spoke to you the other day."

Chrissy glanced over at him. The demon looked so lost and miserable. She found it cute. He needed distraction. In a big way.

~**~

Lorne kissed the woman hungrily, pushing her back against the bed. He impatiently pushed the straps off the woman's shoulders and kissed her collar bone. The woman had her arms wrapped around his neck and moaned slightly. She was now on the bed with Lorne on top of her kissing her roughly, his hands everywhere. Finally he took her and it didn't get any gentler.

~**~

Lorne got dressed and looked around for his watch. The girl was just waking up. He turned his back on her as he buttoned his shirt.

A pair of arms wrapped around his waist. " Last night was…something." Chrissy said, " You didn't seem the type to like it rough."

Lorne knows he should apologise for being so rough. But he had been angry…and took it out on her. But she didn't seem to mind. She had made the first move.

_That is no excuse for the way you treated her. You're not yourself. What would Abigail think? _A voice in his head asked him. He disentangled her arms.

" You'd better leave." He said hoarsely as Chrissy stood in front of him, naked.

" You sure you don't want to go for round two?" she purred, her hands on her hips.

" Leave. Now." He said, afraid he might take her up on her offer.

" Fine." She said getting dressed quickly. She slammed the door as she left and he sank down on the bed. He had betrayed Abigail's memory. What was next?

~**~

She opened her eyes and sat up. She had a splitting headache. She found herself on the floor of a lobby. The lobby of the Hyperion Hotel. What on earth was she doing here?

She heard a door open and close. " Hey, there's Abigail." A voice exclaimed and a shadow fell across her. " Where've you been? We've been looking all over."

Abigail glanced up to see Gunn and Fred staring down at her.

" Um…"

" It doesn't matter. We found you. You know the rules." Fred admonished her as she stood up. The room spun a little.

" Rules?" she repeated but Fred headed for the counter.

" Abigail! There you are." Lorne appeared followed by Angel. " We were getting worried."

" S-sorry." She stammered, her mind whirling. What the heck was going on? Why were they back at the hotel?

Lorne neared her but Angel stopped him frowning. " Wait a minute…something's not right."

The demon looked at him, " What do you mean?"

" She has a soul." Angel said staring hard at Abigail. She felt uneasy.

" What? Don't be ridiculous." Lorne scoffed, " Abigail baby, tell our boss he's wrong."

" He's wrong." She found herself agreeing.

" Sing." Angel instructed.

" What?"

" Sing for Lorne then we'll know if its really you and not some doppelganger."

She sang a few notes and Lorne's eyes went wide. He grabbed her arm, " Who are you and what have you done with Abigail?" he demanded, his red eyes boring into hers.

" I don't know what you're talking about." She protested.

" She has a soul! Put her in the cell!" Angel instructed Gunn.

" My pleasure Angelus." Gunn replied grabbing Abigail.

Abigail looked at Angel shocked.

_Angelus? _


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

Gunn shoved Abigail into the cell and locked the door.

" Gunn, it's me!" she implored, " You know me."

" Thought I did." He said. Angel and Lorne joined him.

" So what is she?" Angelus asked Lorne, " Why is this impostor here instead of Abigail?"

" I don't know but I'll bet she knows." Lorne said. He turned to face Abigail, " What have you done with Abigail?"

" I don't know what you're talking about!" she replied frustrated. Her memory of how she got here was clouded and why was Angel reverted back to Angelus?

Lorne glanced at Angel.

" Lorne, do what you do best." Angelus said.

" Read auras?" Abigail asked but Angelus and Gunn had already left.

Lorne smiled and unlocked the door. He closed it behind him, and took something out of his pocket. A very sharp knife.

" We'll start small," he said.

" Start what?" she asked, her eyes wide. This what not the Lorne she knew. He was different. All of them were different. It seemed she was in some kind of alternate dimension. That would explain Angelus and being back at the hotel. And how they knew she had a soul. None of them had souls. But she couldn't explain how she got here.

He grabbed her arm and rolled up the sleeve of her denim shirt.

" Scream if you want," he said.

~**~

Lorne locked the door behind him and admired his work. Her arms had shallow cuts. She had ripped some of her shirt to stop the bleeding and was glaring at him hatefully. " You are not the Lorne I know." She told him tearfully, " He would never do this."

" Well, clearly _you_ are not the real Abigail. She would never say that." He admired the knife which was stained with her blood, " I'll be back soon." He told her before going upstairs.

He found the others arguing at the counter. Angelus turned to Lorne.

" Well?"

" She's still saying she's the real Abigail." Lorne replied, " She didn't even scream when I bled her. She's tough, I give her that."

" Lorne…you don't actually like her do you?" Fred questioned him.

Lorne opened his mouth to protest but he just shrugged sheepishly, " This girl may not be the right Abigail, but I can't help feeling attracted."

~**~

The next morning, Abigail held her throbbing hand to her chest. Lorne or evil Lorne as she was now starting to think of him, was back to torturing her. He was now moving onto painfully cold. She didn't know which was worse.

" Why don't you believe me?" she demanded evil Lorne as he wiped his hands with a towel.

" You don't have a soul. Therefore, you are not Abigail. You're something else."

" I'm human, I'm not a thing."

" We'll see." Lorne said and continued. He put her hand in ice cold water until she blacked out.

~**~

Angel and Spike finished dusting the vamps and Spike pocketed his stake, " We haven't had a good vamp tussle in ages." He said, feeling very energised, " Hope there's more."

Angel didn't want to admit it, but he agreed with Spike. They headed back to the office when they saw a bright white light coming from an alleyway nearby. They looked at each other and ran towards it.

The light was so bright Angel had to look away. When it vanished, he looked to see what made it and stopped in his tracks.

" It can't be," he said staring.

" It is." Spike said just as shocked.

It was Abigail.


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

" Abigail?" Angel approached Abigail slowly.

Abigail looked up and she seemed to recognise him. But when she looked at Spike, she frowned.

" I can't believe you're back…just wait til Lorne sees you," Spike burst out.

She just stared at him then turned to Angel, " What happened?"

" You don't remember?" Angel replied.

" You were sacrificed to saved the world," Spike told her, " and that never seems to work."

" No…I wasn't. I was at home…then there was this bright light and I end up in an alleyway…and you're here. Did the same thing happen to you Angelus?"

" Angelus?" Spike stared at her, " Why the hell did you call him Angelus?"

" She must be suffering from some kind of amnesia." Angel said.

" Has she even met Angelus?"

" Yeah, last year." Angel stepped forward but Abigail backed up against the wall. Something wasn't right here. For one thing, who was that bleached blonde guy?

" Abigail, it's Angel, not Angelus. And don't you remember Spike?"

" Spike?" She frowned, " I don't know any Spike. And stop joking around Angelus."

" I'm not. Look, we have to take you back to Wolfram and Hart clinic." Angel said.

" Wolfram and Hart?" Abigail stared at him, " Why? Can't we just go back to the hotel?"

" She still thinks we're living at the Hyperion." Angel told Spike, " We work at Wolfram and Hart now. C'mon, let's get you checked out."

" Can't wait til Lorne sees her," Spike said as they lead Abigail back to Wolfram and Hart.

" He can't know about this." Angel decided.

" Why the hell not?"

" We have to know what we're dealing with here first. Then we'll tell Lorne."

" Okay, but if he finds out…I'll tell him it was your idea."

" He won't. And he won't be back for awhile yet."

Spike looked back at Abigail who was staring at him suspiciously. " What are you looking at?" he asked finally.

She didn't reply but followed the two vampires to Wolfram and Hart. She stared at the building, wondering why Angelus was working there.

Angel took Abigail to the medical clinic while Spike went to tell the group. He headed for Wesley's office when a familiar sight made him stop cold.

It was Lorne. Why was he back so early?

The green demon didn't look too good. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair unkempt and he had a glass of Seabreeze. Very professional.

" Hey Spike," Lorne greeted him.

" Uh…what are you doing back?" Spike asked.

" I figured I had to come back somehow. And besides, staying in that big empty house was starting to drive me crazy." He sipped his Seabreeze, " I'm on my way to Wesley's office to say hi."

Spike nodded and followed him. Fred was also there. She jumped up when she saw Lorne. " Lorne!" she exclaimed, " You're back." She hugged him, " How are you?"

" I'm okay," he told her, " So what's new?"

" Nothing much," Spike answered quickly when Wesley's intercom beeped.

" Yes?" Wesley answered.

" It's Angel. I need to see you and Fred. In my office."

" Sure. We'll be right there."

" Guess there's a meeting." Lorne said as the four left the office.

" Oh, um…" Spike knew what Angel wanted. Angel didn't know Lorne was back.

" See you guys later."

" You're not coming?"

" I only popped in to say hi and to catch up on stuff." Lorne said and left. Spike sighed with relief and the they headed for Angel's office.

Gunn was already there as well as Harmony.

" Everyone's here. Good." Angel paused, " There's something I have to tell you all."

" Angel-" Fred began but Angel interrupted.

" When Spike and I went out to kill those vamps, something happened. It's Abigail and…she's back."

There was a long silence.

" She's back?" Wesley stared dumbfounded at his boss, " But…how? She died."

" Not everyone who sacrifices themselves to save the world don't stay dead. Angel, Buffy and me are living proof of that." Spike reminded him.

" But she didn't sacrifice herself…didn't Lorne stab her?" Harmony asked and they all ignored her.

" I don't know why she's back but she's at the clinic now. And if any you see Lorne, don't tell him. I need to know exactly what we're dealing with first. If she's the real thing."

" Angel…Lorne's back. I mean, he's back at work." Fred told him, " And I don't feel right keeping this from him."

" Lorne's back?" Angel frowned.

" It's going to be hard to keep Abigail away from him." Gunn pointed out.

" I don't think Lorne will be around much anyway. He didn't want to go this meeting." Wesley added.

" I'll talk to him. Meanwhile-" Angel was interrupted by his phone ringing.

" Okay." He put the phone down, " I have to go to the clinic, remember what I said."

Angel went to the clinic and noticed Spike following him.

" What are you doing?" he snapped.

" I want to see Abigail…she and I have a lot in common you know. Both saved the world…and all that."

" But she doesn't remember you." Angel reminded him.

" She'll get her memory back. Coming back from wherever she was must have been…disorientating."

" I wonder where she's been." Angel said thoughtfully and entered the clinic.

Dr. Ray Peterson looked up. He had two other doctors with him. They both had claws but Angel thought they were good doctors. He was surprised to see Abigail had been sedated.

" She had an episode earlier," Dr. Peterson told him, " She kept telling me this isn't her world and that she didn't belong here. I had to sedate her so I can examine her. There don't seem to be any external or internal injuries." The doctor paused, " But there's something else."

" What?"

Spike was staring at the still form of Abigail. Something didn't feel right.

" She has no soul." Spike said looking up, " Am I right doc?"

Peterson nodded, " That's what's been confirmed, yes. She's completely soulless."

" So wherever she was…she was bought back, without a soul?"

" She's not a vampire," the doctor said.

" No, she's not. I would have sensed it. A human without a soul. No wonder she had an episode." Spike said.

" And this amnesia…will she get her memory back?" Angel asked Dr. Peterson.

" It's hard to tell. What she must have gone through was very traumatic. She may not want to remember."

~**~

Later that afternoon, while Abigail was sleeping, Angel went back to work. He had talked with Lorne. The demon still seemed heartbroken and didn't really want to talk. Angel left him to his own devices.

Several hours later, the clinic called him again. It was Peterson and he informed Angel that Abigail was missing.

" Missing? What do you mean missing?"

" I mean she's gone. She got up and left." Peterson said testily, not liking the tone in Angel's voice.

" Well, I'll find her." Angel snapped and put down the phone. Peterson should have kept an eye on her. There's no telling what a human without a soul will do. Wesley and Fred were researching on the matter.

He got up and went to find Abigail.

~**~

Lorne had nodded off on his sofa, with an empty glass of Scotch in his hand but was startled awake when he heard footsteps. He rubbed his eyes and looked up. The glass from his hand fell and shattered.

" A-Abigail?" he whispered.


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Abigail stared back at Lorne, not saying anything. He stood up, accidentally stepping onto the broken glass, cutting his foot. He winced slightly but ignored the pain.

" Abigail?" he said again, " It's really you?"

" Lorne." She said finally, " Why…why are you here?" she looked around the room, it appeared to be his office.

The next thing she knew, the demon was hugging her, " Oh My God, I can't believe you're back. How are you back?" he hugged her tighter and felt her stiffen. He let go and studied her, " Do you…remember anything?" he asked. She still didn't reply. He yelped suddenly when he felt a searing pain in his ribs. He looked down to see Abigail trying to jab a small knife into his side. He backed away quickly, " Abigail, what are you doing?" he asked her.

She stared at him, her eyes dark and cold. She held the knife in front of her, " You're not him." She said, " I'm in some kind of hell dimension." Then she went for him again but was tackled by Angel who barged into the room.

She tried to stab Angel but he knocked the knife from her hand, " Give it up!" he ordered her.

" Angel, what the hell is going on?" Lorne demanded.

" You okay?" Angel asked the demon who nodded.

He got up and grabbed Abigail by the arm, lifting her to her feet. She scowled.

" This isn't Abigail," Angel declared.

" What?"

" She's from another dimension." Angel looked at Abigail, " In your dimension, I'm Angelus right? Which is why you thought I was _him_."

She paused then nodded, " I want to go home. He'll be wondering what's happened to me."

" So this Abigail isn't _my_ Abigail then?" Lorne asked and Angel shook his head.

" She has no soul." Angel explained, " She's dangerous."

" There's two Abigails," Lorne mused, " Well, we have to get her back to her own dimension then. And by the way, who were you referring to earlier…_faux_ Abigail?"

" You." Abigail said trying to twist out of the vampire's grasp. " But you're not him. You have a soul. All of you do. It's sickening."

" Well…she's definitely not Abigail." Lorne said staring at her. There were two Abigails. One was evil and the good one was…dead. How was that fair? He glanced down at Angel's desk and picked up the letter opener and tucked it into his sleeve. He then edged towards the doppelganger, the others were too busy studying her to take much notice.

" So you're saying…we're all evil?" Fred asked Abigail.

" Lorne, no!" Angel suddenly shouted and Fred looked up in surprise. The demon had grabbed Abigail around the neck and pointed a letter opener at her side.

" No? Why not? She's not the real thing Angel," Lorne argued, " How should her evil counterpart live, while she's dead?"

" Lorne, I know how you feel but-"

" No you don't. None of you do. Do you want to know how I killed her?" Lorne asked them, his eyes darkening.

" I saw it, I don't need to see it again," Angel reminded him.

" Fred, Wes and Gunn didn't. So here I go again," he jabbed the letter opener into her side. She winced and dropped to her knees at the sudden pain. Lorne went for her again but Angel grabbed him. " Spike, take her out of here!" he ordered Spike.

" C'mon," Spike grabbed Abigail's arm and forced her up, " Where should I take her?"

" Just anywhere…keep an eye on her." Angel glared at Lorne,

" Lorne, I know how you're feeling, but killing her won't make things right."

" But why should that thing live?" Lorne demanded struggling against Angel's grasp but gave up.

" He's right," Spike said dragging the faux Abigail out of the room, " Why should this live?"

" Let me go," Abigail growled at him.

" Shut up," he said and they left the room.

Lorne dropped the letter opener he'd been holding.

" I may have an idea, " Wesley spoke up cautiously.

" What?" Angel glanced over at the demon who had slumped onto the sofa.

" Since this Abigail is from another dimension, could it be possible for the real Abigail to be in hers?"

Lorne looked up. " What?" he said.

" Well, think about. The faux Abigail was pushed out her dimension almost at the same time as our Abigail disappeared."

" So you think she's in a hell dimension?" Angel considered this.

" That's impossible." Lorne said, " Have you forgotten something? I killer her."

" But she fell into some kind of portal thing," Angel said, " Wes, why don't you look into this."

" This is ridiculous. Guys, she's _dead_. End of story. And that thing that's with Spike, should be dead too." Lorne stood up and left the office, slamming the door behind him.


	7. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

**A/N**: _**I should have said in the first chapter, that this will be a very dark Lorne fic. You have been warned!**_

Fred stared at the closed door and shook her head. " Poor Lorne. He's still taking her death really hard. He's so unstable."

" Which is why we have to keep him away from faux Abigail," Angel said, " I'll tell Spike to guard her at all times."

" You don't think he'd try and kill her again?" Fred asked him.

" The way he's behaving at the moment, I wouldn't be surprised." Gunn said, collapsing into a chair, " I miss the old Lorne."

" Fred, you and Wes go and research Abigail's dimension…"

" We can't do that until we ask her some questions," Wesley answered.

" No. I don't want you two near her."

" Wes is right, the more we know about her dimension-"

" We already know we're all there, except evil. And for some reason still at the hotel." Angel paused, " That makes me wonder…"

" What?" Gunn prompted.

" If Connor is there too. And evil."

" Can't hurt to ask," Wesley said, heading for the door.

" All right. Just be careful. And remember to keep Lorne away from her." Angel said.

" I'll go see how he is." Fred decided, " I'll meet you later Wes." She followed Wes outside and went to find Lorne. She checked his office, he wasn't there. She found his assistant, and was told Lorne had left the building.

" In a very black mood," Lorne's assistant said, " Man, I've never seen him like this before."

" He must have gone home. I'll try his cell." Fred did so but got no reply. She found Wesley and told him she was going to Lorne's place to check up on him.

" Are you sure that's wise?"

" C'mon Wes, he won't hurt me." Fred objected.

" He's very unstable."

" I won't be long." Fred promised and left.

~**~

Lorne got out of bed and found his pants which had landed in the middle of the floor.

" Leaving so soon?" Chrissy asked, leaning against a pillow and watching him getting dressed. She had gotten a call earlier and ended up in a familiar place, his bed. It had been a little wild and rougher than usual.

" I'm not the one who'll be leaving, this is my place," Lorne replied.

" Are you angry about something?" Chrissy asked, not moving from the bed, hoping he'd changed his mind and rejoin her.

" What do you mean?" Lorne asked.

" What we did wasn't tender love making-"

" Are you saying it wasn't good?" Lorne interrupted.

" No, I'm not saying that at all-"

Lorne took off his pants and rejoined her, just as she hoped. He kissed her, hard, " Then what are you saying?" he whispered, grabbing a fistful of blonde hair.

" That was angry sex. You're angry at something. Or someone."

" You should mind your own business." Lorne said before his mouth came crushing down onto hers.

~**~

Fred approached Lorne's house when the door opened and a woman she's never seen before walked out, buttoning her blouse and running a hand through her shoulder length blonde hair. The woman looked up at Fred.

" You here to see Lorne?"

" Uh. Yes." Fred replied. She could be a client, she told herself but why was the woman buttoning up her blouse?

" Be careful. He's in a very black mood at the moment." The woman warned.

" Oh…thanks."

" Are you a friend?"

" Yes, we've been friends a long time." Fred nodded.

" Then maybe you can answer this, is he always like this?"

" Like…what?"

" Moody. Dark."

" No, but he's going through something at the moment. His girlfriend died and he's heart broken and-"

" His girlfriend?" the woman interrupted, " How long has it been?"

" Not long. Nearly a month." Fred said.

" Oh," the woman's eyes narrowed a bit, " Okay then." She got into her car and drove off.

Fred rang the doorbell but nobody answered. She opened the door and went in.

" Lorne? I know you're home."

Lorne came downstairs, buttoning his own shirt, " Oh, hi Fred. What are you doing here?"

Fred knew something was going on between the woman and Lorne. But she didn't want to believe it. How could he? Only after a month!

" I was worried about you," Fred said, " I called…"

" Oh, I was kind of busy."

" I can see that. Who was that woman?"

Lorne stopped, so Fred saw her. Damn.

" Uh…a client."

" A client," Fred sounded dubious," She was buttoning up her shirt when she left just like you are now. What's going on Lorne?"

" Nothing…I mean, its none of your business now is it?" Lorne snapped heading for the kitchen with Fred hot on his heels.

" Lorne, are you….sleeping with her?" Fred persisted. And tried to reassure herself. People did crazy things during traumatic times and this was obviously one of them. Lorne wouldn't betray Abigail's memory like this.

" Even if I was, it has nothing to do with you." Lorne replied coldly and made himself a Seabreeze, " Look Fred, Chrissy means nothing to me. It's only happened this once," he decided one little lie wouldn't hurt, " and will never again."

" But its only been a month,"

" I know that," Lorne said, " But you don't understand. I killed the woman I loved…"

" So…you're punishing yourself?"

Lorne didn't answer but they both knew Fred was onto something.

" I better go, but if you want to talk-"

" I don't." Lorne said. Fred sighed and to his relief left.


	8. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN.**

Abigail held her hands to her cheeks as her teeth throbbed. Somehow evil Lorne knew she had a couple of fillings and had decided to use ice. For an hour. She really didn't know which was worse, painfully cold or painfully sharp. But she didn't black out again, she didn't want to give in. She was actually quite proud of herself for not doing so.

Lorne must know by now she had no idea where the other Abigail was, and that he was just torturing her for fun.

She found herself dozing off but was woken later by footsteps. Her vision was blurred from sleep and she rubbed her eyes.

" Who's… there?" she called out. The pain was just starting to subside and she had hoped Lorne wouldn't come back for at least another hour.

" Don't be scared," a voice replied softly, " I'm here to help you." He unlocked the door to the cage and entered it. He knelt down in front of her.

" How do I know you?"

" I'll explain later. I have to get you out of here," the man frowned and inspected one of her arms, " God, what has he done to you?"

She snatched her arm back, " Why should I trust you?" she asked him.

" You can…I'm a friend. You don't belong here," he paused, " You were never were meant to be here. Something went really wrong that night…" he trailed off.

" What did? What are you talking about?" a thought occurred to her, " Do you know what happened? How did I get here?"

" I'll explain all that later, we don't have much time." He stood up and helped her to stand.

" Where are we going?"

" Home." He said, " Let's go before he comes back."

" Wait…we can't go up there. They'll be there." She didn't budge.

" They aren't. Trust me." He smiled encouragingly at her. She didn't have a choice but to trust him.

She followed him up the stairs and into the lobby area of the hotel. He was right, no one was around…but there was a big swirly portal right in the middle of the lobby.

Her eyes widened, why did it look so familiar?

" We're going through…that?"

" Don't worry, it'll be all right." He started for the portal but she didn't move.

" You never did tell me your name." she said.

" Bailey." He said and disappeared into the portal. She paused then followed.

~**~

Angel looked around the clinic and sighed. Abigail had escaped. Again. She had killed the doctor by slitting his throat and he lay dead on the floor. He had alerted security and his gang was looking for her. Fred stared at the dead doctor.

" Abigail did this?" she said.

" Remember, she's not the Abigail we know," Angel reminded her, " I think she's desperate. She wants to go home."

" But how she's going to get home? We know where she came from, but how are we going to send her there?"

" That's where the research comes in," Angel said.

" Wesley's on it," Fred reminded him and Spike arrived.

" No sign of her," he reported.

" Why are you still here? Check outside the building. She couldn't have gotten far." Angel said in expiration.

" Um…I might have an idea to where she's heading to." Fred suggested.

The vampires looked at her.

" She might be looking for Lorne."

" She doesn't know where he lives. In her dimension, she's still living at the hotel," Angel pointed out.

" Well, we'd better go look for her before she does find Lorne." Spike said and headed out.

It didn't take long to find her, she was in an alleyway trying to fight off two vampires. She had staked one just as he arrived but the other one had her pinned against the wall. He sank his teeth into her and ripped her throat open and drank.

Someone grabbed him by the arm and threw him aside. But it was too late. Abigail dropped to the ground, dead.

Spike dusted the vamp and checked her pulse. She was definitely dead. He didn't know if the vamp had turned her. He debated what to do when there were footsteps behind him.

" You found her," it was Angel.

" Yeah…but she's dead." Spike said nodding at Abigail, " I was too late. What are we going to do with the body?"

There was a sudden flash of bright light, so bright it made the vampires look away. When his vision cleared, Spike looked down at the ground. Abigail was gone.

" That light…that was the same light-"

" That brought her here in the first place." Angel finished, " What the hell is going on?"

~**~

Lorne walked down the steps to the basement, looking forward to his next round of torture. This time he was going for hot. He had a bowl of steaming hot water and put it down on the table. The basement was dark as he had turned off the lights before. He walked up to the cage and tripped over something. He managed to catch himself before he fell and turned on a light.

" What the hell…" he trailed off and stared down at Abigail. She was lying on the floor with her throat ripped out. Her eyes stared lifelessly at him.

" She's dead? But how she did she get out of the cage?" he wondered then it dawned on him. This was a vampire attack. He ran up the stairs, furious. What gave Angelus the right to kill Abigail? He found the vampire and ordered him to go down to the basement.

" What's going on?" Angelus asked then saw the dead body, " Oh."

" I can't believe you did this. You had no right to kill her." Lorne fumed.

" But I didn't kill her," Angelus protested ," I swear Lorne, I didn't touch her."

" Oh, and I suppose she got out of the cage by herself then?" Lorne continued. He didn't believe Angelus.

" Look…I can sing and then you'll know the truth. Ok?"

Lorne sighed, " Go on then. I suppose I should give you the benefit of the doubt."

A few minutes later Lorne apologised. It was clear Angel didn't kill her. But there was more bad news. This dead body was the real Abigail. The Abigail Lorne had been looking for.

" She's dead," Lorne said as it started to sink in.

" She may have been turned," Angelus said and Lorne nodded.

" I know." He said. Angelus left and Lorne waited.

~**~

Abigail woke up on the ground, outside a building. She stood up and looked around for Bailey but he was nowhere in sight. She stared up the huge building, Wolfram and Hart it was called. She was about to head in when she heard running footsteps. She felt herself being tackled to the ground, getting the wind knocked out of her.

" We got you now!" a voice exclaimed, " No more escaping all right?"

" Get off me…" she said struggling but the guy had her pinned.

" Wait a minute…" the blonde man got up and helped her up, " It can't be." He turned to the man next to him.

" Do you feel it?" he asked him.

The dark haired man nodded, " yeah…I can't believe it. She has a soul."

" This is the real deal." Spike agreed, " Abigail, where have you been? How did you get here?"

" Um…"

" We gotta get her back inside." Angel said.

" Wait…who are you?" Abigail asked them.


	9. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

" You know us, we're friends." Angel said.

Abigail turned white then and clutched at Spike's arm, " I don't feel very well," she said before collapsing to the ground.

They tried to rouse her to no avail, so Angel picked her up and they went back to Wolfram & Hart. They went straight to the clinic where the new doctor examined her. During the examination, she woke up and looked confused about her surroundings. She saw the dark haired guy standing at the end of her bed.

" What…happened?" she asked him, " Where am I?"

The doctor leaned over her, concerned, " You don't know where you are?"

She shook her head, " I don't…remember anything."

" What about your name?"

" Abigail," she replied then she frowned, and glanced over at the silent, dark-haired guy, " Who are you?" she asked again.

" I'm Angel," he replied, " You're at the clinic of Wolfram and Hart. You don't remember what happened?"

" No…nothing."

After an hour, the doctor turned to Angel, " I'm afraid she might have situation-specific amnesia."

" What's that?" Abigail broke in.

" It's a type of dissociative amnesia that occurs after a patient suffers a very traumatic event. It's rare but it can be helped by therapy."

" How long does it last?" Angel asked.

" Either a few hours or days." The doctor replied, " I need to order some X-Rays and a Cat Scan."

" I need to speak to my people," Angel said, then turned to Abigail, " Will you be all right?"

" I'm not going anywhere." Abigail replied. Angel left and found Spike with Wesley, Fred and Gunn.

" Is it true?" Fred exclaimed once Angel arrived in his office, " Is Abigail back? The real Abigail I mean."

" It's true." Angel nodded.

" Where's Lorne? We need to tell him. He'd be so happy."

" Are we going to tell him this time?" Gunn asked Angel.

Angel paused then nodded, " Where is he?"

" I think he's in his office." Wesley replied. " How's Abigail when you found her? Is she all right?"

Angel told them about her amnesia, " She really can't remember anything. About where she's been, who we are."

" Can we see her?" Wesley asked.

" The doctor says only one person at a time." Angel said, " I'm going to tell Lorne."

~**~

Lorne was catching up on a mountain of paperwork when Angel knocked on his door. He took a sip from his Sea Breeze before calling out, " Come in."

" Hey Lorne." Angel greeted him. The demon still looked tired and edgy. His clothes were still wrinkled and his hair unkempt.

" Hi," the demon replied.

" Lorne…there's something I need to tell you." Angel paused.

" What?"

" We found her. Abigail I mean."

" Good for you." Lorne replied without looking up. Angel was confused about his reaction for a minute then realised Lorne must be thinking it was evil Abigail Angel was talking about.

" No, I mean…I guess I'd better show you then you'd know."

" I'm kind of busy here," Lorne gestured.

" I know…but this is important. Trust me."

Lorne sighed loudly and followed his boss to the clinic. Through the window, Lorne could see Wesley talking to faux Abigail.

" So you found her…what's the big deal?" Lorne asked Angel irritably.

" Take a closer look Lorne." Angel urged him.

Lorne went inside and Wesley looked up, " Hey Lorne." He said getting up.

Lorne stared at Abigail and it hit him. She had a soul.

This is was his Abigail.

It can't be, he thought, staring at her. It's impossible! He continued to stare at her until he finally found his voice, " Abigail?" he whispered.

Abigail's eyes widened in alarm at the green thing standing in her room.

" Wesley…what is that?" she demanded.

" It's Lorne. Surely you remember him." Wesley said and she shook her head.

" No I don't…get it out of here." She shrunk back when the demon walked closer.

" I can't believe you're here…" he said, he seemed fascinated by her he reached out to touch her, to make sure she was really there when she shrieked.

" Wesley, get that thing out of here!" she said. Wesley hurried the demon out who refused to leave at first.

" Angel, I want to know how and why she's back," he said.

" We don't know, but-"

" And why the hell doesn't she remember me?"

" It's not just you. She doesn't remember any of us. Or what happened." Wesley explained.

" But you've known her the longest!" Lorne protested.

" The doctor says she will get her memories back. Her amnesia was caused by a traumatic event."

" Her coming back from wherever she was," Wesley surmised nodding, " It makes sense."

" She was really scared of me," Lorne said staring at Abigail through the window.


	10. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

" She just doesn't remember you. Her memories will come back."

Lorne nodded and left. He decided to try again tomorrow. He was on his way to the office when he caught a glimpse of a very familiar person, one he thought he'd never see again.

" What the hell are you doing here?" Lorne demanded, hurrying over to Bailey. Abigail's former assistant looked like he wanted to bolt.

" Um…" Bailey trailed off. Lorne grabbed his arm suddenly and pulled him into his office.

" Sit down," Lorne instructed him.

*** * ***

Angel, Wes and Spike arrived in Lorne's office to find Bailey sitting down with a bleeding lip and a cut above his eyebrow. Spike's eyebrows shot up. He hadn't known Lorne all that long but he's never known Lorne to be violent.

Angel didn't look surprised however. He crossed his arms and stared at Bailey, " You gonna talk to us?"

Bailey wiped the blood from his lip and glared at the green demon, " It all went wrong that night. It didn't go the way it was supposed to. And it's all his fault." He nodded at Lorne.

" Why?" Spike asked but he knew the answer.

" Abigail and I went into the portal, but she was supposed to be in a different place then the place she ended up in. She was supposed to…" he trailed off and looked at Lorne meaningfully.

" She was supposed to die," Lorne finished the sentence, " But she didn't."

" No. Oh you tried to make sure she did by sticking a knife into her but it didn't work…and instead of beating me up, you should be thanking me. I was the only one who could get her out."

" Get her out of where?" Wesley asked but Angel knew. He'd been there himself.

" Hell." He said and Bailey nodded.

Lorne's face turned pale, " She was in…hell?" he whispered.

" Yeah. So I pulled her out of there. And now she can't remember what she's been through. Which is a good thing because she what she went through…"

" You saw what she went through?"

" Yeah. It wasn't fun." Bailey said, " So I had to get her out."

" No wonder she can't remember anything. Who would?" Spike said.

Lorne couldn't take much more of this. If Bailey was telling the truth then it had been his fault. All of it. He left the room silently.

" Lorne-" Angel called after him but the demon ignored him.

* * *

Chrissy sighed and hung up. She'd been trying to call Lorne all afternoon but either the demon had his cell phone turned off or he was ignoring her. She decided to meet him at his home, he couldn't very well ignore her there.

She let herself in and waited in his bedroom. After a while, she heard footsteps and the door open. He didn't bother to turn on the light as he padded towards the bed. It wasn't until his eyes adjusted to the darkness he saw her.

" What are you doing here?"

" I wanted to see you." She replied, standing up. She put her arms around him but he flinched and looked away. His eyes were dark and clouded, he clearly wasn't in the mood.

" You better leave," he said in a low voice, " I'm not really in the mood for company right now."

" I'm just what you need," Chrissy said then kissed him. Lorne untangled her arms and pushed her back, a little forcefully then she liked.

" Chrissy, I mean it. We can't see each other anymore."

" Why the hell not?" she demanded.

" Because….my girlfriend's back." He admitted finally, " I thought she was lost to me. But she's back."

She frowned, " So…now that your girlfriend's back…you're gonna get rid of me? Now that you're through with me?"

" Chrissy-"

" Fine. But let me tell you Lorne, you're gonna find that getting rid of Chrissy will not be easy." She wrapped her arms around his neck and stared into his red eyes, " Understand?" she kissed him then and left, slamming the door behind her.

She was going to make him pay, and the best way to do that was to get rid of his girlfriend.


	11. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

Lorne looked up as Abigail put her arms around his neck, " I was in some kind of hell dimension…you were there but it wasn't you. I didn't like him… he tried to kill me! I'm just glad to be back and have the real you." She leaned to kiss him and he caught a glimpse of them, fangs. And she probably didn't realise she was a vampire.

He hugged her to him as he pulled out the stake, " I'm sorry," he said to Abigail, his face expressionless.

" For what?" she asked but gasped when he held up the stake.

" I made you a promise," he reminded her, " That if you were ever turned…" he didn't finish the sentence, he jabbed the stake into her chest. She exploded into a cloud of dust and he dropped the stake.

There were footsteps and a shadow loomed over Lorne, " Is it done?"

The demon stood up, " It's over." He told Angelus, " I'm going out for a bit."

" Where are you going?" Angelus asked when they heard a commotion upstairs. They hurried up to the lobby to find Gunn shoving a guy against the wall.

" What's going on?" Angelus demanded Gunn as he punched the guy in the mouth.

The guy choked as blood sprayed from his mouth. He collapsed to the ground and Gunn gave him a kick in the ribs.

" Gunn!" Angelus snapped.

" This guy says his name is Bailey." Gunn replied as the man looked up at them.

" Where did he come from? "Lorne asked.

" A portal opened up right in the middle of the lobby and he appeared," Gunn replied, " He wanted to see Lorne."

" How do you know me?" Lorne demanded.

" I can explain…everything. Can we talk in private?" Bailey asked him. Lorne nodded and lead him upstairs to his bedroom. He looked around his room, Abigail was everywhere. Lorne decided to switch rooms later.

" I know you had to kill your girlfriend because she turned." Bailey replied wiping the blood from his cut lip.

" How did you know that?"

" That doesn't matter. What if you can have Abigail back?"

" How?" Lorne wondered if this guy was crazy, " I staked her in the heart. There's no coming back from that."

" I'm a dimension jumper, meaning I can travel through dimensions. There's another dimension, just like this one but nicer. You and your friends are there but they all have souls. And Abigail is there too."

" Wait a minute…you're talking about the Abigail I tortured before she disappeared. What makes you think she'd want anything to do with me after the way I treated her?"

" Ah, that's the best part. She doesn't remember her time here."

Lorne was starting to understand what this guy was talking about and a plan started to formulate in his mind. He would have to get rid of the other Lorne though, but that shouldn't be too hard.

" Why are you helping me?" Lorne asked Bailey.

" I have my reasons," bailey replied, " You ready?" the demon nodded as Bailey chanted an incantation before a portal opened up in the doorway.

Lorne went through it and blinked several times as the bright light faded. He found himself in someone's living room. Where the hell was he? He decided to explore and went upstairs. He found a bedroom and went in. The bed was unmade and there was a framed photograph on the dresser. He walked towards it and picked it up That's he realised he was in Lorne's house.


	12. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**Author's Note: I'm glad people are enjoying this fic. After getting several requests via emails and pms, I decided to update. And if anyone can draw I'd love some fan art with Lorne and Abigail together. **

Lorne hesitated in the doorway of the hospital room. Abigail smiled at him, " Come in," she said sitting up.

" You're not going to scream at me again?" Lorne asked as he sat down on a chair next to her bed.

" No. Sorry about the other day. You…surprised me that's all. Wesley explained you and I are good friends."

" So you still don't remember anything?" Lorne asked.

" Not where I was no. But…I'm starting to have flashes."

" About what?" Lorne asked.

" About us." Abigail replied, " you and I are actually a couple. I remembered something last night. We went on a picnic at the beach and afterwards we…" she felt her face grow warm. She reached out and he took her hand. He looked hopeful and his eyes were so warm and kind. Even though her mind was foggy, she knew she loved him.

" Abigail, when you were gone…I was so lost. But now you're back…I've never been so happy." He brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, " Do you think we can be together again? I know you don't remember everything but I love you. I never stopped loving you."

Abigail reached out and took his hand in hers, " I want what you want…I want us to be together. I love you too." And Lorne's heart soared. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.

_You don't deserve her…you killed her or have you forgotten? What if she remembers what you did to her? _Lorne asked himself but pushed the thought out of his mind. Abigail sat up and put her arms around Lorne's neck for a hug. _If she ever finds out what I did…she'll hate me. And I'll lose her forever. I'm not going to let that happen again._

Lorne decided he had been in his counterpart's home long enough-he could come back any moment. He headed downstairs and went out the front door, pulling the fedora he had " borrowed" from Lorne's closet low over his eyes and headed for the nearest bar.

Fred heard someone signing in the lobby and grinned when she saw it was Lorne.

" Hey Fredikins," he greeted her cheerfully.

" I heard that you and Abigail are back together again," Fred told him, " That's great news." She hesitated, " Does she remember yet?"

" No not yet," Lorne said and headed towards the clinic. " Oh and Fred, about the other week…"

" I won't tell her about that woman," Fred promised him, " I just want you to be happy Lorne. You've actually been really scary the last few months and I never want to see that again."

For the next couple of days, Lorne didn't leave Abigail's side and she asked the doctor if she could go home. After a discussion the doctor agreed she could be released as long as she came back in a couple of days for a check up and therapy.

" Don't worry doc, I'll take good care of her," Lorne assured the doctor.

Abigail got dressed in the clothes Lorne had bought a couple of days ago. " I can't wait to eat some proper food and have a proper bath," she exclaimed as she brushed her hair, " And sleep in my own bed."

Angel watched Lorne and Abigail from the doorway. They were back together-it was if they never had been apart.

" Going home?" he asked them as Lorne put his arm around Abigail's shoulders.

" Yep. I won't miss this place." Abigail said, " I want to talk to you about coming back to work if that's okay."

" Are you sure? It's not too soon?"

" No, I want my life to go back to normal."

" We can talk tomorrow." Angel agreed and the couple left.

Abigail looked around at the mansion as Lorne shut the door behind them, " I remember this place. Didn't we have a housekeeper? I keep remembering an older woman…"

" Ada. I had to let her go when you…were gone." Lorne replied, " Do you want a drink? Something to eat?"

" Later. I really want a bath," Abigail said and Lorne lead her upstairs. He ran her a bath and left her to it. He unpacked her bag and put her clothes in the laundry and went to the closet when he realised something. The door was open ajar, he could have sworn he closed it this morning. He shrugged and closed it and went downstairs to make some dinner.

Later that night, Lorne was surprised when Abigail rolled over ontop of him and kissed him firmly.

" Are you sure?" Lorne asked and she kissed him in reply. The kiss turn passionate and Abigail unbuttoned her pyjama top and threw it to the floor and as they made love, Lorne hoped this night will never end.


	13. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Abigail looked around at her office. It felt strange being back. She glanced at her watch, she had a meeting with the others in an hour. She was about to head for her desk when she heard someone walk up behind her. She smiled as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. She turned around and Lorne pulled her tightly against him.

" Lorne, I'm meant to be catching up on things," she admonished him. Lorne just smiled playfully as he kissed her. She returned the kiss with equal passion and before they knew it they ended up on her couch with clothes throw on the floor.

An hour later, Abigail lay in Lorne's arms, feeling content and relaxed. She kissed the green demon on the cheek as she craned her neck to see the time and was startled.

" We're meant to be having a meeting right now!" she exclaimed, scrambling off the couch. She started getting dressed hurriedly, " Angel hates tardiness." She said.

Lorne got up and dressed also. The two of them linked arms and headed for the meeting room.

Angel hated it when his meetings didn't start on time. He looked at his watch and raised his eyebrows as Lorne and Abigail walked in, giggling to themselves.

" Sorry Angelcakes," Lorne apologised and Angel noticed his tie was crooked. As they sat down Angel could smell Lorne all over Abigail, so they were busy with each other.

" But we were kind of…delayed." Lorne finished flashing him a big smile.

Angel was glad Lorne was back to his normal self but now that he and Abigail were back together, they were acting like a pair of teenagers in love and couldn't keep their hands off each other. It was kind of irritating, he was trying to run a law firm!

" Lorne, your tie is crooked," Fred staged-whispered to Lorne. Lorne glanced down and straightened his tie, shrugging.

" Having a little nooner were you?" Gunn teased Abigail who flushed red.

" Ahem,' Angel cleared his throat and the gang shut up. " Abigail, I want to go over your client list with you."

" Sure." Abigail agreed and the meeting went on.

Lorne opened the door to his counterpart's office and stepped inside. He really couldn't believe Angel and co sold out to Wolfram and Hart…they were supposed to be do-gooders! Lorne's counterpart wouldn't mind working in a place like this, good job, huge salary package and ungodly benefits. He'd also live in the huge house given to Lorne and Abigail. Much better than the hotel he was currently living in.

He knew his counterpart would be busy most of the day with clients so he'd have time to poke around. He went through the drawers but found nothing of interest until he came across a framed photograph on Lorne's desk. He picked up, they looked happy, smiling in front of the camera. _I used to have that. _Lorne thought as he took the photo out of the frame and pocketed it.

He snooped around some more when he heard footsteps and froze. Damn, he was caught! _Just relax, it might not be your other half_ he told himself. He turned to see Fred knock on the door.

" Hey Lorne," she greeted her friend.

" Uh…hi. What's up?"

" I'm going to be busy with Wes so I won't be able to have lunch with you, if that's ok."

" Oh…that's fine."

" Ok, great." Fred smiled at the demon before leaving and Lorne breathed a sigh of relief. He managed to fool Fred! Who was nothing like her counterpart back home.

_If I can fool Fred I can fool everyone. The only things left to do is to get rid of the original Lorne and kill the connection that bought me here in the first place. Then Abigail is mine. _

After an evening of love making, Abigail fell asleep with her head on Lorne's chest as he laid there, stroking her hair until he too drifted off.

_He found himself standing alone in a park somewhere. He saw a figure sitting on a bench and he went for a closer look. He was surprised to see it was himself._

" _What's going on? Who are you?"_

" _That's a stupid question," his double replied, " You know who I am,"_

"_Yeah but…why would I be dreaming about myself?"_

" _I may look like you but you and I…are very different." The other Lorne replied. _

" _Right." Lorne said dubiously looking his exact double. _

" _Why are we here?" Lorne asked. _

" _You've done some pretty questionable things to her lately. You've stolen her memories, stabbed her in the guts and cheated on her while she was dead! So you don't deserve her." His double studied him, " or perhaps you already know that."_

" _Yeah, I already know that. But she doesn't remember any of things and its going to stay that way. I love her and she loves me. That's the only thing that matters."_

" _I'm going to get what's mine," his double warned him, " And in the end, you'll be left with nothing. Not even your own life." _

Lorne sat up with a start and looked down at Abigail who had rolled over onto her side. He leaned down and kissed her before climbing out of bed and heading downstairs. He poured himself a brandy before sitting in his favourite chair and stared into the darkness.

Lorne frowned as he searched his desk but came up with nothing. Abigail entered his office and kissed him hello.

" What's wrong?" she asked him sitting down.

" Something weird is going on. First my clothes goes missing and so has my favourite photo of us. The frame is here but the photo is gone," he held up the empty frame.

" What do you think it means?" Abigail asked.

" I don't know but I had a pretty strange dream last night."

" What was it about?"

" I don't want to bore you but it was just weird." Lorne thought for a moment, " I think I may have a stalker."


	14. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

" A stalker? Who would stalk you?" Abigail asked.

_I have a pretty good idea, _Lorne thought but shrugged, " I have no idea." He replied, " I have to go see a client, but I'll see you tonight?"

" Sure." Abigail agreed and he kissed her goodbye and left. He left work and went to Chrissy's apartment in Silverlake. He rang the door bell and she answered. She tried to hide her surprise but failed.

" Well, well, look who's come crawling back. What's wrong…your girlfriend broke up with you?"

" No," Lorne replied, " You have my stuff…I need it back."

Chrissy ran a hand through her blonde hair and frowned, " Stuff? I don't have your stuff."

" You've stolen some clothes and a photo. I have a good idea on why you've gone all stalker on me but its not funny. Now just give my stuff back-"

" I have no idea what you're talking about. I haven't stolen anything."

" I don't believe you," Lorne pushed past Chrissy and looked around the living room, " Where are you hiding it?"

" Lorne, I'm no thief!" she protested, " Look, I'll sing for you and then you'll know." Before he could stop her she sang a few bars of a Britney Spears song.

" Baby One More Time _" _ she finished and raised an eyebrow meaningfully. Lorne stared at her in disbelief. He couldn't believe it-well, he couldn't believe himself. He clearly saw him with Chrissy again. He saw himself pushing Chrissy against a wall and…he closed his eyes shutting the images out.

" Ok, I'll be going now."

" Don't you want to come in?" Chrissy asked but he was already heading down the hallway. She watched him go and sighed. Lorne was clearly not interested but she still was. At first she had been just using him, but now Lorne haunted her mind. She couldn't think of anything else but the times they spent in bed together. _Forget about Lorne. He never cared about you. He was just using you the way you used him. _She reminded herself but deep down she had hoped some part of Lorne cared for her. She got her coat and headed to her favourite bar to drown her sorrows.

That night Lorne and Abigail arrived home, Abigail was too exhausted to cook dinner so they ordered pizza, ham and pineapple for Abigail and tandoori chicken for Lorne. They ate in the living room before going upstairs for the night. Abigail had a shower and climbed into bed as Lorne went into the bathroom. Abigail was worried about him, he'd been quiet all night which was most unusual. He was distracted about something. Although she was tired, she was determined to take his mind of whatever was bothering him. He shuffled into the bedroom and climbed into bed beside her and she kissed him, " Lorne, are you okay?"

" Fine sweetie," he replied kissing her forehead, " It's just been a long day."

Abigail smiled and straddled him, " Something's on your mind and you need a distraction."

" Abikins-" Lorne started but was interrupted as she kissed him, running her hands over his body and unbuttoning his pyjama shirt.

" This is a pretty good distraction," he admitted as he returned the kiss with equal fire.

Chrissy looked up to see him standing there. Lorne.

" It's kind of late…what are you doing here?" she asked him. He looked puzzled at her question and just stood there staring at her. She felt uneasy, it was if he was seizing her up.

Lorne studied this blonde girl. She was beautiful, there was no question. Did his counterpart know her? _She must be a client of his, _Lorne told himself as she stood up and walked closer. " Are you following me?" Chrissy asked him, " First you show up at my apartment accusing me of thieving and now you're here in the very place we met. What's going on?"

_They do know each other…intimately,_ Lorne realised. That must mean his other self had been cheating on Abigail! While she was dead! First his counterpart stabs her, then he cheats on her. He was starting to think maybe his counterpart was the evil one, not him!

" You've changed your mind," Chrissy said as she put her arms around her neck. He didn't budge, " Are you going to leave her for me?"

" No," Lorne replied, " I'm not who you think I am," he said.

" I barely know you. But I know for a fact you want me. As much as I want you." She kissed him and he didn't push her away. He returned the kiss and closed his eyes imagining this woman was Abigail.

" Let's go back to your place," Chrissy whispered.

" No, too risky. Let's go to yours." Lorne replied as she took his hand.

" All right. Won't your girlfriend wonder where you are?"

" She's at meetings all day," Lorne replied and followed Chrissy back to her apartment. Once they were safely inside, he grabbed her by the waist and began kissing her roughly as he pushed her back against the wall.

_He's mine. _Chrissy thought as Lorne began taking her clothes off, still kissing her. _I'm not sharing him with anybody else. _


	15. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

" You're not coming to work?" Abigail asked Lorne as they headed downstairs.

" I have to see someone about something first, I'll see you there."

" Okay," Abigail nodded as he kissed her goodbye and headed into town to see a friend of his-who happens to be a psychic. A few months ago he had bought Abigail to see Samantha Miller to learn more about Abigail's destiny.

Samantha was finishing up with a customer when her tall, green friend entered her store, hiding his face behind a magazine and making his way towards her. He lowered the magazine and smiled at her in greeting.

" Hey Sam," he said.

" Hi…I haven't seen you since you bought your girlfriend in." Sam lead him to her office at the back and closed the door.

" You don't need to ask me how it all went," Lorne replied, " I'm sure you already know."

" I know," Sam agreed, " I knew before you even showed up. You ended up killing her before she disappeared into a shiny portal thingie. Then a couple of months later she's back. And when she was gone you went to a very dark place. How am I doing so far?"

" That's what happened. She can't remember what happened-thank God. But I'm here for a different reason. When she was gone, I was a totally different person. As you said I went to a dark place…with another person."

" I see. So while Abigail was dead, you slept with someone else."

Lorne nodded, " I hate what I've become," he said, " I can't seem to get rid of her. I read her yesterday and I clearly saw myself with her-again. Can you tell me when it will happen?"

" First things first, you have to answer this,"

Lorne nodded.

" Why did you use my sister?"

There was a long pause, " Use…your sister?" Lorne repeated as a feeling of dread came over him.

" yes. What you've done is the lowest of the low. You have really gone dark haven't you? Using my sister while the woman you claimed to love was dead! Who does that?"

" Chrissy is your _sister_?" Lorne asked again.

" Christina is my little sister," Sam crossed her arms and her blue darkened. That was when he saw the family resemblance. Chrissy was a younger version of Sam.

" Oh God…" Lorne trailed off, " Sam, I don't know what to say. I had no idea-"

" No you didn't. You better leve now before I do something I'll regret."

Lorne trudged away and turned to look at her, " I guess we're not friends anymore then?"

" For you things will get bad before they get better. Very bad." Sam replied as he left.

Chrissy looked over at Lorne, " I showed you a few things haven't I?" she asked and he just looked at her, his eyes showing no emotion, his face expressionless.

She heard her cell phone ring and she got up to answer it.

" it's me," it was her older sister Sam.

" You're kind of calling at the wrong time," Chrissy told her as Lorne watched her.

" He was just here," Sam replied, " I'm kind of disappointed in you."

" What are you talking about?"

" Lorne. He was just here and I just learned about you sleeping with him while his girlfriend was dead. Have you no decency?"

" Um…did you say Lorne was there?" Chrissy ducked into the hallway and closed the bedroom door.

" He just left. You need to-"

" Save the lecture for later. I have to go." She hung up on her sister. If Lorne had just visited Sam, then who was that in her bed?

She went back into her bedroom. There were two Lorne's! That was the only explanation she could come up with.

" What are you staring at?" Lorne demanded her.

" Why didn't you tell me you had a brother?" Chrissy asked him.

" A…brother?"

" Yeah. You have a brother."

" No I don't."

" You don't? Then explain to me how one of you just visited my sister while you've been in my bed at the same time?"

Lorne sat up, " Because I'm not the _original_ Lorne. I'm from another reality."

" So…you're not the Lorne I slept with a few weeks ago?"

" Nope."

" Oh." Chrissy sighed, " This is confusing. So how did you get here?"

" I was pushed out of my world and into yours at the same time Abigail was."

" And why haven't you tried going back?"

" I'm not going back."

" Why not?"

" I'll explain later. But I have an idea on how to hurt the other Lorne. Really hurt."

" How?"

" By taking away the one thing that's most precious to him."

" Abigail."

" Right."


	16. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

" So you're just using me too?" Chrissy glared at this new Lorne.

" I thought you already knew that." Lorne replied shrugging.

" God, I can't win with either of you. Both of you want Abigail more than me."

" I lost my Abigail, its only fair I take what's mine." Lorne replied, " in the meantime, I deserve a bit of fun." He grabbed Chrissy's arm and pulled her down onto the bed next to him.

_This is not my Lorne, _Chrissy thought but unlike the other Lorne, this one wasn't pushing her away. " You and your other self are exactly the same," she told him and his eyes darkened.

" We may look the same but he and I are very different. He's a wimpy, do-gooder, fighting the good fight alongside a vampire with a soul. Back home, Angel and co have no souls and torture and kill humans for fun. It was great until-" Lorne frowned at the memory.

" Until?"

" I had to kill my Abigail because she was turned," Lorne recalled. He was still haunted by the look of betrayal on her face just before he staked her.

" Turned?"

" Into a _vampire_," Lorne sighed irritably.

" Oh. So that's why you don't want to go back. You want to kill the other Lorne and take his place. But how can you be sure if you're going to fool everyone?"

" I've fooled one of them, I can fool them all. Don't worry, it's foolproof. I just need to kill Lorne and the demon dimension jumper." He paused and looked down at Chrissy. He would have to kill her too. He wasn't sure if he could trust her. But she hasn't realised this yet.

Lorne hugged Abigail to him before bringing his mouth down onto hers for a lingerg kiss. She untucked his shirt and slid her hands up his chest. The kiss turned passionate and they collapsed onto the couch.

Lorne's cell phone rang jolting him back to reality. He pulled away and straighed his shirt, " I have to get that," he told her and grabbed his phone.

" Lorne speaking. Oh hi Angel…" he chatted for a minute or two before hanging up. Abigail stood up and re-buttoned Lorne's shirt,

" I guess I can't put off the paperwork any longer. We need to get back to work."

Lorne nodded, " Save some energy for tonight." He told her winking. He kissed the top of her head before leaving his office to meet a client.

Lorne looked behind his shoulder. He had the strangest feeling of being watched. He was taking a short cut to the nearest Italian take away. His client meeting was over and he was starving. He decided to bring something back for Abigail too-if she had the time to eat. He heard footsteps behind him and he looked over his shoulder. He couldn't believe what he saw. How was it possible? The demon was gaining on him and he started running.

The other demon was faster and tackled Lorne to the ground. Lorne found himself staring up at his own face!

" Who are you?" Lorne asked as the other Lorne pinned him to the ground.

" I'm you." His other self replied. Lorne stared into the attacker's face. It was him, right down to the clothes.

" It's you. You're the one who has been stealing my things," Lorne realised.

" I'm just taking what's mine." The other Lorne said.

" Taking what's yours?" Lorne's face went pale, " You stay away from Abigail-"

" Shut up," his evil twin snarled before a fist came flying at his face and Lorne saw nothing but blackness.

" So you have the orginal Lorne locked up," Bailey said as he entered the old empty Hyperion Hotel.

Lorne looked up as he emerged from the basement.

" I'm not surprised you chose this hotel, considering its where you live back home."

Lorne didn't say anything but walked over to Bailey. This was his chance…to kill the only connection to his dimension.

" You really think it's gonna work?" Bailey asked and Lorne took out his knife.

" Yes," Lorne replied and Bailey glanced down at the knife.

" What are you doing? I sent you to this world and this is how you repay me?"

" You're the only thing that connect me to my world." Lorne explained then jabbed the knife into Bailey's stomach. Bailey groaned in pain and slumped to the ground. Lorne stabbed him again and Bailey's eyes closed.

" It's nothing personal." Lorne told him as Bailey bled to death on the lobby floor. He cleaned up the mess before going back downstairs.

His head pounded and his mouth was dry. Lorne opened his eyes to find himself in a cage. A cage in what appeared to be a basement. His legs and hands were tied. A door opened and his other self walked in, holding some keys.

Lorne studied his counterpart. The other demon was his exact double.

" Where did you come from?" Lorne asked him.

" A hell dimension," Lorne number 2 replied, " The same hell dimension Abigail was in."

" Oh," Lorne was starting to realise what the other Lorne was planning, " That Abigail who was here, your Abigail is dead and you want to take mine?"

" it's only fair isn't it?" evil Lorne asked jangling his keys, " You've done some questionable things to her. Killing her…then while she was dead you cheated on her with that blond woman Chrissy."

This conversation felt very familiar somehow. Then Lorne remembered. It was from a dream. He had dreamt this and it was coming true.

" You know about Chrissy?"

" Yes and she's quite…eager isn't she?" evil Lorne grinned. So Chrissy had slept with this Lorne and probably didn't know it wasn't him.

" You're planning on killing me and taking over my life? Everyone won't be fooled."

" Yes they will. I'm going to try it now,' evil Lorne knelt down in front of him, " I'm just getting what's mine. Don't worry about Abigail. I'll be treating her way better than you ever did." He stood up and left. Lorne watched him go feeling sick to his stomach. He tried to loosen the knots but they were tight. He prayed Abigail wouldn't be fooled by this fake Lorne.

Abigail looked up in surprise as Lorne entered her office. " I thought you were busy," she greeted him. Lorne didn't reply instead he grabbed her in a hug and kissed her passionately. She ran her hands through his golden hair as he kissed her neck then collar bone. He pulled away then, his red eyes staring into hers.

" You okay?" she asked him.

" Never been better." He answered.

Lorne didn't know how long he was in the basement for. It felt like hours. He slept a little but his head hurt too much. Just when he was about to give up, he heard footsteps running down the stairs. Please don't let it be the other me! He thought. He didn't like his evil self, he was a nasty fellow.

" Lorne? Are you down here?"

" Chrissy? Is that you?" Lorne called and Chrissy came into the light. She unlocked the door and untied him.

" Thank God…how did you know?"

" We came up with the plan together," Chrissy explained, " But then I realised…I don't want to be a part of it. At first I wanted to hurt you but I care about you too much to do it."

" You do? Even after the way I treated you?" Lorne asked as she helped him stand.

" yes. And even though it bothers me a little bit, I want to see you happy…even if it means being happy with her."

" He's with her right now and she thinks he's me." Lorne replied and she nodded.

" Where are we anyway?" he asked.

" Hyperion Hotel. Where you used to live." Chrissy helped him upstairs.

" thanks Chrissy. You know-I can't return your feelings."

" I know. Thanks for being honest with me. I know we can ever…well you know again."

Lorne nodded and they headed back to Wolfram and Hart. Lorne then realised that it wasn't himself he saw with Chrissy…it was evil Lorne. He felt relieved. And Chrissy…she was finally letting him go.


	17. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Lorne unbuttoned Abigail's blouse and kissed her skin and went lower. Abigail didn't know what it was there was something different about him.

He was about to take off her blouse when they heard running footsteps and the door flew open.

" Get the hell off of her," a voice shouted. Lorne did as asked and Abigail was shocked to see another Lorne standing in the doorway!

" What…what's going on? Who are you?" Abigail asked the other Lorne.

" He's not me!" the visitor exclaimed, " _I'm_ the real Lorne." Then he rushed into the room and punched his other self in the face, sending him reeling.

" There are two of you?" Abigail stood up and watched the two Lorne's fight. The Lorne who had been with her was pinned against the wall by the other Lorne.

" Wait a minute," Abigail said when a blonde woman entered the room.

" It's true, he's from another dimension," the blonde woman told her.

" I knew I shouldn't have trusted you. I should have killed you first," the evil Lorne snarled and threw his counterpart off him. The two Lorne's faced each other.

Abigail stared at them both as one of them turned, " Abikins, I'm the real Lorne. He wanted to kill me and take over my life."

" It would have worked too if that bitch over there hadn't spoiled everything," the evil Lorne growled, " Abigail really thought I was you."

" I don't know…there was a moment when you felt different." Abigail walked over to the original Lorne when a memory suddenly washed over her, making her gasp. She found herself back in a cage with Lorne, except it wasn't Lorne. It was Lorne's evil counterpart and he was torturing her.

The memory faded and she saw the two Lorne's fighting again. She turned to the blonde woman, " Go get help!" she ordered her. Chrissy ran off while Abigail went to help her Lorne. Her Lorne had hit his evil self again and that's when she noticed the knife. It had blood on it.

" Lorne, watch out!" she warned. Lorne looked down and knocked the knife out of the other demon's hand. It went skittering away just as Lorne hit his evil self again.

" What's going on here?" a voice demanded. They looked up to see Angel.

" He's from the hell dimension Abigail was in!" Lorne answered nursing his hand which was sore from the hitting. He wasn't used in being so violent.

Evil Lorne went to stand but Angel knocked him down again, " Don't you move!" the vampire warned and turned to Abigail.

" Do you remember him?" he asked her and she nodded.

" He tortured me. For hours on end."

" We need to send him back to his dimension," Angel decided, " What was he planning on doing?"

" Killing me and taking over my life." Lorne replied, " Remember how evil Abigail was here? Well, she died in his dimension and he decided to take mine."

" I'm only getting what I deserve." Evil Lorne said, " After the things you've done to her you don't deserve her."

" What does he mean by that?" Abigail asked Lorne.

" Ignore him. He's evil."

" We'll get Fred and Wes to figure out how to send him back to where he came from. In the meantime, we need to lock him up."

" Bailey," Lorne said suddenly, " Bailey can send him back."

" That's right, where is he?" Angel asked.

Evil Lorne smirked, " I'm afraid he won't be much help."

" Why's that?" Angel asked.

" 'Cause he's dead." Evil Lorne said matter-of-factly.

" Oh." Angel sighed, " I'll get Fred and Wes on it."

Abigail looked over at evil Lorne and shuddered. Lorne put an arm around her shoulder, " You okay?" he asked softly.

" I let that monster touch me. After everything he did to me, I let him…" her stomach churned.

" Let's be glad we got to you in time before things went any further." Lorne kissed her gently. He felt Chrissy watched them intently. He didn't like her expression.

" Thanks for helping," he said to her.

" Who are you anyway?" Abigail asked her.

" She's a client of mine," Lorne said.

" Yeah right, good one." Evil Lorne snorted and they all ignored him. Abigail went over to evil Lorne.

" You are scum." She told him, " you deserve to go back to hell."

Evil Lorne stood up, his hands were now tied. " So does he," he nodded at his other self, " You'll agree when you've learned the truth about him. I've decided that he and I are the same after all."

" Let's go guys," Angel said after talking on the phone with Fred, " Fred thinks she can open a portal with the coordinates to the dimension."

The group filed out, Abigail last. She took out the knife from her pocket and Lorne turned around just in time to see Abigail slash the knife across the evil Lorne's throat. An artery opened and blood spilled out. Evil Lorne's hand flew to his neck and slumped to the ground, choking on his own blood.

Abigail stabbed the knife into his neck again and blood splattered onto her blouse. She stood up and the knife cluttered to the floor,

" That's for torturing me you son of a bitch," she said as the evil Lorne died at their feet.

" Abigail," Lorne was shocked but understood her actions. Angel called for cleaners and then called Fred again and told her what happened.

Abigail stared at her blood stained hands and looked up at Lorne, glassy-eyed. " Take me home," she said and he nodded.

The following day Lorne called Angel and told him he and Abigail wouldn't be going into work today. Angel understood and told Lorne to take care of Abigail. Lorne went back upstairs and was surprised to find Abigail dressed for work.

" What are you doing?" he asked.

" Going to work."

" After yesterday?"

" I need something to keep me busy…I need work to keep my mind off things," Abigail said and the doorbell rang.

" I already told Angel we're taking the day off," Lorne assured her as they went downstairs.

" Oh,"

" A day off will be good for us. We can go for a picnic or anything you want." Lorne opened the door. The visitor was Chrissy.

" Oh…its you," Lorne sighed. What did she want now?

" You've never introduced us properly yesterday," Chrissy said pushing past them.

" Won't you come in," Abigail said sarcastically.

" I'm not a client of Lorne's, I'm a friend of his. " Chrissy said to Abigail.

" We're not really friends," Lorne said quickly as his heart started pounding. He had a fair idea where this was heading, " Anyway, we were about to leave-"

" We know each other pretty well…wouldn't you say Lorne?" Chrissy went on.

Abigail looked at Lorne then back at Chrissy again, " What's she talking about?"

" Nothing, it's nothing."

" Lorne, tell me the truth. Who is this woman?"

Lorne opened his mouth and closed it again. He couldn't find the words.

" He slept with me while you were dead," Chrissy told Abigail bluntly.

Abigail laughed, she found the idea ludicrous, " That's ridiculous. Lorne would never do that."

" Oh and he did. More than once…he couldn't get enough. You know what? You and I should compare notes."

" That's…that's a lie," Abigail choked back tears.

" God Chrissy I thought you were turning a corner,"

" Come on Lorne, a person doesn't change over night!" Chrissy rolled her eyes.

Abigail backed away, " You slept with her…while I was dead? What the other Lorne was saying…was true?"

" You don't know the half of it." Chrissy added.

" For God sake woman, shut up!" Lorne snapped at her.

" Tell me. Tell me what he's done," Tears welled up in her eyes but she held them back.

" Well, let's see. He took away your memories-apparently-killed you and then slept with me while you were dead."

Abigail stared at Lorne and the world was slowly going dim. She could not believe what she was hearing.

" You…you…did those things to me?"

" Being with Chrissy didn't mean anything I swear."

" And that's supposed to make me _feel_ better?" Abigail demanded.

" It's starting to make me feel like crap," Chrissy interjected.

They both ignored her.

" I thought we loved each other! We've been together for three and a half years! And you…"

" Abigail, please. I love you. More than anything in the world. I told you while you were gone, I lost myself. I went to a dark place and Chrissy…well, she was-" tears brimmed in his red eyes.

" Convenient," Abigail snarled.

" No. She doesn't mean anything to me and never will. I want to make it up to you. Let us start over. Please?" he reached out but she shook him off.

" Don't touch me,'" Abigail warned, " You know what I did to your evil twin." She paused and added, " Now I know what he meant when he said the two of you were the same. You are just as bad as he is." She rushed for the door but Lorne ran after her.

" We need to talk about this," he said desperately.

She whirled around and slapped him in the face, " Nothing you say or do will ever make things right again." then she ran out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Lorne watched her go and that was when he let the tears fall.

" Well, that was fun. Better than a soap opera," Chrissy said and Lorne whirled on her.

" You get the hell out of my life." Lorne shouted and ran upstairs.


	18. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

Abigail knocked on Wesley's apartment door. She had no where else to go.

The Englishman opened the door, " Abigail…what are you doing here?"

" I kind of need…" she started crying again and Wesley ushered her inside.

" Are you still upset over yesterday?" Wesley asked sitting her down on his couch and handing her a box of tissues, " You had your reasons for doing what you did."

" it's not about that." Abigail said and she managed to get the story out between sobs. Wesley was shocked.

" I've known Lorne a while now and I don't think he'd ever cheat on you. He loves you."

" I thought he loved me. Turns out after three and a half years it all meant nothing to him…."

Abigail sat at the bar two hours later with her Tequila. Someone sat down next to her.

" How'd you find me?" she asked.

" Tracked your scent. I heard what happened. Had to know if you were okay." Spike said.

" Do you know what it's like to have your heart completely ripped out by someone you love?" Abigail asked.

" Yeah, I kind of do," Spike answered. " I'm quite shocked to learn what green jeans has done. When you think you know a person…"

" You find out you don't know them at all." Abigail added.

Spike knocked on the door to Abigail's hotel room. He heard the sounds of someone throwing up inside. He knocked again and Abigail finally came to the door.

" Spike, hi." She greeted him.

" Thought you'd want some company," Spike replied, " I know you hate beer, but I got some wine," he handed her a bottle.

" Oh…thanks." Abigail stepped inside, " come on in."

" How you been?" Spike asked, " Apart from tossing your cookies."

" You heard that? I'm fine. I'm coming down with something that's all." Abigail put the bottle of wine on the bench in the kitchenette.

" You're not having any?" Spike asked sitting down on the couch and opening his beer.

" No…I don't really feel like it at the moment."

" Has anybody been to visit you lately?" Spike asked.

" No. They're probably worried about poor Lorne more than me. I was never part of the group, I was just his girlfriend."

" That's a load of bs. You're the victim here, not Lorne." Spike said, " Are you sure you don't want any wine? You look at though you need it."

Abigail shook her head and sat down next to him, " I'm thinking of leaving," she told him.

" Leaving?"

" LA. I want to quit Wolfram and Hart and leave. There's nothing left for me anymore."

" You've got me," Spike protested.

Abigail smiled half-halfheartedly, " I'm through with everything. I just want to get out and-" her stomach churned again, " excuse me," she said and hurried back into the bathroom.

After ten minutes she returned looking embarrassed, " Must be a stomach bug," she said pouring herself a glass of water.

Spike studied her and the realisation hit him. She refused the alcohol and was throwing up. She couldn't be…could she?

" Abigail, are you pregnant?" Spike asked and she put down her glass.

" Yes I'm pregnant. Lorne cheats on me with a cheap blonde and I'm the one who gets pregnant. Life can't get any worse."

" You going to tell him?"

She just gave him a look, " I guess not…but he should know. He's the father,"

" He doesn't deserve to know. I'll be leaving LA before he does know."


	19. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Spike's cell phone went off, jolting him awake. He fumbled for it and flipped it open. It was nearly dawn.

" Yeah, I'm on my way….where am I? Visiting Abigail since none of you lot are." He flipped it shut and went to get his coat. Abigail was stirring on the bed and woke up.

" Morning," Spike greeted her, " Angel wants me back at work for a mission. Will you be ok here?"

" I'll be fine. Thanks again for the company." Abigail followed Spike to the door and he opened it.

" I better go before the sun comes up," he said.

" I don't care what horrible things you've done as William The Bloody but you're a good man. Just like Angel. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

" Hey, I'm nothing like Angel," Spike protested, " Why does everyone keep comparing me to Captain Forehead anyway?"

Abigail smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for last night," she said, " I needed a distraction."

" I'll come round again tonight," Spike decided and left.

At his vantage point, with jealously raging, Lorne lowered the binoculars. He knew Abikins and Spike were close but what was he doing staying over night? And Abigail kissed him! Granted it was just a kiss on the cheek but did something happen between the two of them? Lorne had to know-_needed_ to know. He debated whether or not to confront her about it when someone grabbed the binoculars out of his hands, making him jump.

" What are you doing here?" Spike asked as the demon stood up, looking guilty.

" Uh-"

" You're turning stalker demon now are you?" Spike glanced at up the hotel.

" Well, why are you spending the night with her?" Lorne shot back.

" I don't think that's any of your business," Spike replied.

" But she's.."

" She's your ex. And it's high time you get used to it mate. Move on."

Lorne fell silent as they drove back to Wolfram and Hart, " How can I move on? I love her. I'll never stop loving her."

" But she's stopped loving you," the words were out of Spike's mouth before he could stop himself. He really didn't like sticking it to Lorne but he needed to hear the truth.

Lorne didn't reply but his eyes were sad.

Two nights later, Spike let himself in Abigail's hotel room, he heard the shower running. A few minutes later, she walked into the living room wearing a pair of sweat pants, and a tank top. She ran a brush through her wet hair.

" Hey," she greeted him as he pulled out a stack of cards,

" Feel like some poker?" he asked.

" Sure, I'll get some snacks." She said and disappeared into the kitchen. She returned with a bowl of chips, cheese and onion dip and a mug. She handed the mug to him and he looked inside, it was blood, zapped for 5 seconds in the microwave.

" Thanks," he said.

She shrugged, dragging a chair over and sitting down opposite him. They started playing. A few months ago Spike had taught her how to play and she was getting better.

" What's wrong?" Spike asked after the second game.

" Nothing, why?" she asked shuffling the cards.

" You're not saying much. By this time you're usually accusing me of cheating and you're not even doing that."

" I've been thinking." She replied, putting her stack of cards down, " I've decided to leave LA first thing in the morning."

" Already?" Spike looked disappointed.

" I'm leaving to help Lorne. With me gone, he'll have a chance to move on with his life."

" So I'm guessing you're not going to tell him you're leaving?"

" No. It's better this way."

" That seems kind of cruel."

" You have to be cruel to be kind," Abigail said getting up to put the uneaten chips away. Her stomach churned and she winced as she headed for the kitchen.

She put the bowl on the counter and went to make herself a cup of hot chocolate. " Do you want some more blood?"

Spike heard a crash and was in the kitchen in a split second. Abigail was doubled over in pain.

" What's wrong? Did you cut yourself?" he asked. Her face was white as she shook her head.

" My stomach hurts," she whispered and winced as another searing pain went through her. She moaned and Spike gently put an arm around her waist.

" Let's get you to the hospital." Spike said, " it could be the baby."

" Something's wrong with the baby?" Abigail asked. More cramps came and she cried out. Spike carried her outside to her car and took her to the clinic of Wolfram and Hart.

" We can't go there," Abigail moaned, holding her stomach, " Lorne will be there."

" He has client meetings all night, don't worry." Spike assured her and carried her inside.

Angel was in the lobby speaking to Fred and they both looked up see Spike carrying Abigail.

" We need help here,' Spike called to them, heading straight to the clinic.

The doctor wouldn't let anyone see Abigail while he examined her. After an hour, he allowed Spike in.

" Why not me?" Angel demanded.

" She only asked for Spike," the doctor replied. Spike smirked at Angel before disappearing inside the clinic. Abigail was lying in bed. The colour had returned to her face but she looked sad.

" I'm afraid she's had a miscarriage," the doctor explained to Spike. He paused, " Are you the father?"

" No…why do you ask?"

" The foetus was demon spawn. Abigail is human, humans cannot carry demon spawn to term. And if they do carry the spawn to term, the mothers never survive."

" Lorne was the father," Spike explained.

" Ah, I see." The doctor nodded. He turned to Abigail, " Get some rest."

" How are you feeling?" Spike asked after the doctor left.

" Tired and a bit…empty. Even though the baby wasn't planned, I was getting used to the idea of being a mother. I guess it was never meant to be." Abigail replied flatly. She sighed, " Just like Lorne and me. He must never know about this."

Spike nodded, " Your secret dies with me," He promised, taking her hand in his.


	20. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

The doctor wouldn't tell Angel what happened so Angel went in to find out.

" She passed out, that's all." Spike replied for Abigail.

" Are you sure?" Angel asked. He knew Spike was lying, something else went wrong.

" I guess I should tell you…I'm leaving tomorrow."

" Leaving?" Angel's eyebrows rose.

" Leaving LA. Live somewhere else…start a new life."

" But…what about your job?"

" You'll find my resignation letter on your desk," Abigail said.

" Does Lorne know?"

" She's leaving for Lorne, so that he can get over her and move on with his life," Spike told him.

Angel tried to persuade Abigail to stay but she was too stubborn to be reasoned with. Finally Angel gave up and went back to his office.

The next morning, Abigail was allowed to go back to her motel. She packed her bags and carried them to her car. She checked to make sure she had everything.

She heard footsteps behind her. " Hey Spike," she said without turning around.

" How did you know it was me?" the bleached blonde asked.

" I could smell your cigarette," Abigail replied.

" Oh," Spike threw his cigarette to the ground and stubbed it out with his boot.

" So…this is it eh?" Spike glanced at her bags in her trunk, " You're really leaving."

" Yeah…" Abigail looked behind him. No one else was coming. They were all too worried about Lorne to even think about her.

" Before you go…one more last game of poker?" Spike asked, holding up his cards.

" I guess I can spare five minutes." She agreed shutting the trunk and following him back to the motel room.

" She's what?" Lorne stared at Angel in shock.

" She's leaving LA…today. Right now." Angel glanced at his watch, " if you hurry you might be able to make it."

" She can't leave…she has her job,"

" She's resigned," Angel said.

" Why is she leaving?" Lorne asked.

" She says she's doing it for you, help you move on."

" That will never happen." Lorne said firmly and headed outside for the limo. He told the driver to hurry.

Spike glanced at the clock and Abigial stood up, " It's been fun, but I really must go."

" Do you have anywhere to go to?" Spike asked following her outside.

" I have a friend who's offered me a place to stay while I sort things out." Abigail told him. She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, " You've been a really good friend. I'll miss you."

" Yeah," Spike said gruffly, hugging her back. He didn't want her to leave. He wanted to tell her but the words wouldn't come. He stepped back and she got into her car.

" Keep in touch," he said. She started the car and waited for it to warm up when something caught her eye in the review mirror. It was Lorne, running towards the car and waving his arm frantically. She ignored him and took off.

Lorne slowed down and stared at the car taking off. His shoulders sagged and tears welled up. He was too late. She was gone.


	21. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

**_ONE MONTH LATER_**

Lorne looked up at the clock, it was nearly time to meet with Fred for lunch. He glanced at the framed photo of Abigail and sighed. It's been a whole month and three weeks since she left-and left a big hole in his heart. It didn't help him move on, he loved her more than ever and missed her every day. He's had no luck finding her and the only one who probably knew where she was would be Spike. But he refused to tell him, " for your own good Lorne," he had told him.

It had been a horrible few weeks after she left, he kept getting stares from the lawyers and his friends were tip-toeing around him. He then got sick of it and pretended to be over Abigail, he even tried dating just to show them he was over her but no one could replace Abigail.

So whenever he was alone, he thought of her often and wondered if she was going ok.

He got up and headed for Fred's lab when he saw her talking with Wesley. He bantered with them for a bit, it was clear those two were together and he was happy for them.

" I'll just look where the sun shines," he told Fred going down the stairs.

He started to sing and Fred joined in. He whirled around in horror to see Fred vomit up blood. Lorne managed to catch her before she fell as she started to convulse in his arms.

" Get medical!" Wesley yelled, " Someone get medical now!"

The gang separated to find out what they can do to help Fred. Lorne, Angel and Spike went to Lindsey McDonald's apartment but didn't find him, instead they found Eve, hiding in the bedroom.

" Don't touch me!" Eve said.

" Hiding out from the senior partners, Eve? How many sick days do you get before they dock you?" Angel asked.

" What do you want?"

" Fred's dying. A mystical parasite. Ring a bell?"

" No, I don't know what you're talking about."

" What about your boyfriend, luv? You got some wacky scheme brewin'? Sending coffins about?" Spike asked.

" You two stay away from me," Eve said.

" Look, Eve, this happens quickly or very, very slowly."

" Sarcophagus. Older than anything we know." Spike added.

" Lindsey and I had nothing to do with that. I'm not lying. I—I'm not."

" You're not saying what we need to hear," Angel said.

Eve started to stand up, " Why would we ever do anything to Fred? Why would we even care about-"

Lorne punched her n the face, knocking her down. Angel glanced at Spike who didn't look surprised.

" Ooh. Oh, I'm sorry. That was a knuckle-buster. I'm Jake LaMotta over here. It's pathetic." he turned back to Eve, his red eyes growing even redder.

" Here's the thing, Eve: You're going to sing for me, and I'm going to read you right now. And here's one more thing: Winifred Burkle once told me after a sinful amount of Chinese food, and in lieu of absolutely nothing, "I think a lot of people would choose to be green. Your shade, if they had the choice." If I hear one note—one quarter-note—that tells me you had any involvement, these two won't even have time to kill you."

Eve sang and Lorne sighed. " She's clean. Her future's not to bright though."

Later Lorne found Spike in Fred's lab. " Someone needs to call Abigail. She'd want to know."

" I already did. She'll be here soon." Spike replied.

That night, Lorne left his office and headed for Angel's when he saw him talking to someone. Lorne's heart skipped a beat, it was Abigail.

" Abigail," he murmured to himself. She looked up to see Lorne walking towards her.

" Hi," he greeted her.

" Is it ok to see Fred now?" Abigail asked Angel, completely ignoring Lorne-as if he wasn't even there.

" Sure, just for a few minutes though." Angel said and lead Abigail away. Lorne stared after her. He didn't even get a glance from her.

Abigail found Spike in Angel's office. " I feel so bad," she confessed. She had just visited Fred.

" Why?"

" I didn't even say goodbye to her when I left and now she's dying and-"

" You shouldn't feel guilty over that. You thought you were doing the right thing."

" That what she said," Abigail said and tears welled up in her eyes.

Lorne walked by Angel's office and noticed the door open. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Spike hugging Abigail, his hand pressed against her hair. He then kissed her on the forehead and whispered something to her. Lorne quickly walked away, his heart breaking all over again.


	22. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY ONE**

Angel was walking by Lorne's office when he heard a smash from inside. He opened the door and saw the green Empath demon kneeling down on the floor, picking up broken pieces of glass.

" What happened? Are you ok?" he asked.

Lorne looked up. He looked terrible. His break up with Abigail and now Fred's illness was clearly taking its toll on him.

" It's all gone to hell." Lorne said quietly.

It was a few days later, and the gang were mourning the death of Fred. Her soul had been destroyed and her body inhabited by an demon called Illyria. After doing some research they learned she was an Old One, who had lived on earth long before humans did. The gang hated the fact she looked liked Fred and apparently still had Fred's memories. Wesley was broken-hearted and had locked himself in his office, trying to research anything he can to bring back Fred but Angel knew it was hopeless. Fred was gone. Another soldier down.

When he and Spike went to London to try and cure Fred, they did have a choice. They could cure Fred but thousands of people would die as a result. Fred wouldn't have wanted that. _I didn't have a choice, we had to let her die. _Angel thought sadly. He looked at his watch. He had called for a meeting a few days ago and wondered if anyone was going to show. The door opened and Harmony came in.

" I don't think anyone's turning up." The vampire said, " I mean, Wesley's locked in his office, Gunn's still in hospital after Wes stabbed him, Lorne's MIA and Abigail's out with Spike again…" she frowned, " You don't think there's anything going on with them do you?"

Angel looked up at her, " Harmony…" he wanted to snap at her but didn't have the energy. " Never mind. Just go away."

" Fine," Harmony said and left, closing the door behind her.

Abigail was sitting in her old office, thinking about Fred. She couldn't believe her soul was destroyed and her body taken over by the scary blue Old One. She hadn't met her yet, she was out in the city somewhere and according to Spike, Lorne had been assigned to follow her. Abigail still hadn't spoken to Lorne. Even when the group had assembled while Wesley was with Fred during her final hours. The demon had looked lost and devastated. She had wanted to comfort him but the anger about what he did to her was still there, just below the surface.

Lorne poured himself another Seabreeze and took a long gulp when someone knocked on his door.

" Come in," he called. The door opened and in came Abigail.

" Hi," she said and he stared at her in surprise. " Um…hi." He said. She was the last person he'd been expecting.

" I…I just wanted to see how you were." She said lamely.

_I'm surprised you even care, _Lorne wanted to say but didn't.

" I'm….not good." He replied, " I still can't believe she's gone."

" Me either." Abigail paused, " Why haven't we killed Illyria yet?"

" I don't know. She hasn't harmed anybody…yet." Lorne replied.

" It's only a matter of time," Abigail pointed out. Lorne nodded. He wanted to say something about her and Spike but the words didn't come.

" Do you mind if I sat down?" Abigail asked.

" Sure. Did you want a drink?" Lorne asked as Abigail sat down beside him. She actually wanted to sit down with him. _Maybe I was overreacting about what I saw. Maybe she still does care. _He thought to himself. Abigail decided on a glass of Scotch and he made her one. They talked about small things.

" Lorne, we need to talk about what happened…we never really did." Abigail put her glass down. She faced Lorne and the anger that had been building was slowly disappearing. Who was she kidding? She still loved Lorne, always will. He deserves a second chance, and she knew he always loved her.

" I know. I used Chrissy for my own personal pleasure and I hated myself for it. I don't deserve your forgiveness, I don't blame you for not trusting me again but you must know-I always loved you-and always will. There will be no one else but you."

Abigail moved closer to Lorne and his heart thumped. Was she ready to forgive him? He reached out and took her hand and she didn't pull away. She didn't need to sing for him to read her, he could easily feel her emotions, they were mixed.

He wanted to ask about Spike but decided against it. Things were going well…he didn't want to ruin it.

" I love you," Lorne told her, " I want us to be together again," and he moved closer to her. He very badly wanted to kiss her. _I'm gonna go for broke, _he thought and cupped her face in his hands before kissing her. She didn't pull away, she returned the kiss and it became passionate.

At that moment, his cell phone rang, startling them both. He ignored it but she pulled away. " Maybe you should get that."

He sighed and answered it, " Yeah."

He listened for a bit, " We'll be right there." He disconnected the call and stood up, " That was Angel, he's calling for an emergency meeting. "

Abigail nodded. He took her hand and she stood up. He pulled her in for a hug and kissed her tenderly. " I love you," he told her again.

" I love you too," she admitted and he kissed her one more time before they headed to Angel's office.


	23. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY TWO**

_A/n: I'm glad people love this fic…this is almost coming to an end. This chapter will be kind of raunchy. I have two more stories in the works. The next one takes place during the comics After The Fall._

The meeting had turned ugly. The gang believed Angel had turned evil. Wesley had his gun pointing at him but Angel grabbed the shotgun barrel and pushes it away from him while kicking Wesley to the ground. Abigail turned to Angel aimed her crossbow at him but he wrenched it from her hand and throwing her the ground, winding her.

Spike charged at Angel, but Angel punched him first. Gunn raised his sword, but Angel blocked his swing and hit him in the head with the barrel of the shotgun. Lorne pointed his crossbow at Angel and fired a shot, hitting Angel in the shoulder. Angel dropped the shotgun. Wesley pulled a pistol out of his belt, but Angel kicked it out of his hand before he can fire it. Angel grabbed Lorne around the neck, holding him hostage.

" Are we done?" Angel asked the group.

" Let him go," Abigail said from the floor. Spike helped her up and she rubbed her side.

" You don't give the orders," Angel replied, " Lorne, pull this thing out of me. " Lorne reached and pulled the arrow out of his shoulder.

" Easy, not in a great mood."

" Good, now lets finish this." He takes out a crystal, "Involvere," he said letting Lorne go.

The crystal glowed and sent a force throughout the entire room.

" All right, we have six minutes."

" Til what?" Spike asked.

" The glamour collapses. As far as anyone outside this room is concerned, we're still at each others throats."

" Aren't we?" Wesley replied.

" Look, we don't have a lot of time here, so I'm gonna have to make this short. Everything you think you know, everything you've heard, is a lie."

" Why should we believe you?" Gunn demanded.

" Because I'm the one who told it. Read any good books lately?" he asked Wesley.

" You sent us the message?" he realised.

" And the assassin to kill Drogyn," Angel added.

" So that part was true," Spike said.

" I knew Drogyn could handle himself. I told the assassin just enough to lead Drogyn to think I played a part in resurrecting Illyria. I figured he'd come here looking for allies against me."

" Why would you want us to believe you killed Fred?" Wesley asked.

" Because they needed to believe it." Angel explained.

" The Black Thorn." Gunn said and Angel nodded.

" They needed to believe my own people didn't trust me anymore. They needed to believe a person as good and as pure as Drogyn considered me an enemy. It was the only way to gain their confidence."

" Oh, so this whole evil Angel thing has been a big scamola. Hmm. I smell Oscar." Lorne said holding his sore neck. Abigail stood next to him and he put an arm around her waist. Angel noticed this. _They must be back together…when did this happen? _Angel wondered. He'd been so busy pretending to be evil he never noticed.

" When did this all start?" Spike asked.

Angel explained that it was from Cordy who had visited them a few months ago. She had given him a vision.

" One-shot deal. She put me on the path, showed me where the real powers are. But I couldn't see who they were. Then, when Fred died, I wasn't gonna let that be another random horrible event in another random horrible world. So I decided to use it, to make her death matter. And it worked. I'm in. I've seen the faces of evil. I know who the real powers in the apocalypse are."

" So, all that power tilts the scales crap...?" Gunn said.

" It's true. We're in a machine. That machine's gonna be here long after our bodies are dust. But the senior partners will always exist in one form or another because mankind is weak."

" Uh, do you want me to point my crossbow at him, 'cause I think he's gonna start talking about ants again." Lorne said.

" We are weak. The powerful control everything... except our will to choose. Look, Lindsey's a pathetic halfwit, but he was right about one thing. Heroes don't accept the way the world is. The senior partners may be eternal, but we can make their existence painful."

" You wanna take them on." Wesley said.

" We're in a machine. The Black Thorn runs it. We can bring their gears to a grinding halt, even if it's just for a moment."

" About time we got our hands dirty," Spike said.

" This isn't a keep-fightin'- the-good-fight kind of deal. Let's be clear. I'm talking about killing every... single...member... of the Black Thorn. We don't walk away from that."

" Do we crawl away at least?" Lorne asked.

" We do this, the senior partners will rain their full wrath. They'll make an example of us. I'm talking full-on hell, not the basic fire-and-brimstone kind we're used to."

" We know the drill," Gunn said.

" No, you don't. 10-to-1, we're gone when the smoke clears. They will do everything in their power to destroy us. So...I need you to be sure. Power endures. We can't bring down the senior partners, but for one bright, shining moment, we can show them that they don't own us. You need to decide for yourselves if that's worth dying for. I can't order you to do this. I can't do it without you. So we'll vote. As a team. Think about what I'm asking you to do, think about what I'm asking you to give."

" Kill 'em all... burn the house down while we're still in it." Spike said.

" Something like that." Angel said.

Everyone looked serious.

Spike raised his hand, " I'm in." he said.

Abigail looked at him for a moment. She raised her hand, " Count me in." she said.

Lorne glanced at her sharply. She didn't look at him.

Everyone raised their hands, including Lorne-rather reluctantly.

To the outside looking in they were seeing:

" Drop it!" Spike was shouting.

" Angel, you don't want it to go like this!"

" Lorne, you all right?" Gunn asked.

" Wes, help-" Lorne pleaded.

" Angel, we got four people here. Drop it!"

They didn't notice Marcus Hamilton watching them through the window.

" So I guess we're not going back to the office after this," Gunn said.

" The alley just north of the Hyperion. Everyone who makes it meets there. If we do any damage at all, the senior partners are gonna rain hell on us. So be ready."

Lorne pulled Angel aside, " Hey, Ange, uh, I'll do this last thing for you, for us... but then Abigail and I are out, and you won't find usin the alley afterward. Hell, you won't find us at all. Do me a favor. Don't try." He said then walked out.

He found Abigail at home. They had done separate things after Angel had instructed them to spend the day as if was their last.

" Did you tell him?" Abigail asked and Lorne nodded.

After yesterday's meeting, Abigail and Lorne had talked about the future. If they were to survive the Apocalypse they both wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. They were quitting fighting the good fight.

Lorne pulled her into his arms and kissed her hungrily. She started unbuttoning his shirt. " Are you sure?" he asked her, " I mean, we've only just gotten back together…"

" I want us to. I want us to spend this night as if it was our last." Abigail replied firmly. She took off her shirt and then her pants. She stood naked before him and his heart thumped. God, she was beautiful. She watched as he undressed himself and he pulled her in for another embrace. She could feel him against her and heat soared between them as they collapsed onto the bed, kissing passionately. He covered her body with his own and kissed her hard as he explored her body. He caressed her breasts and one of his hands disappeared between her legs. She had forgotten how good he felt. Her back arched and he took a nipple into his mouth while his hand stroked her thighs before going between her legs again. She put her arms around him and ran her fingernails down his back as he stroked her harder. She could feel him against her belly.

" God Lorne," she whispered, " I can't bare it any longer."

Lorne kissed her in reply. She reached for him and held him, he was hard. She stroked him for a bit but he took her hand in his and finally entered her. He started thrusting hard and she raked her fingernails down his back, and he kissed her neck. After awhile, he rolled off and lay down beside her.

" That was...amazing," he said trying to get his breath back.

They rested for only five minutes when she straddled him, " My turn," she said.

Lorne stood in the bathroom staring at his reflection. Abigail was having a quick nap after spending the night making love. he didn't sleep, he spent the few hours watching her sleep. He craned his neck and saw the long red scratches on his back from her fingernails.

" Ouch, those look painful," Abigail remarked, standing in the doorway. She was wearing his shirt, looking rumpled, sleepy and so darn cute. " I didn't mean to hurt you,"

" They don't hurt," he assured her and they started kissing again. " Last night had been one of the best nights of my life. It felt so good just being with you and holding you again. I watched you sleep..." he brushed a strand of brown hair from her big brown eyes, " And the sex was pretty good too." he added.

They heard her cell phone ring in the bedroom and she went to answer it. Lorne knew it was Spike. She had been teamed up with Spike to kill the members of the Brethren. He was meeting her here in a couple of hours.

" We have two hours to kill before Spike gets here," Lorne said.

" You're not too tired from last night are you?" she teased. He gently pushed her back against the wall before bringing his mouth down onto hers for another searing kiss.

She got dressed and watched Lorne dress. He was quiet, reflective.

" Are you scared?" she asked him.

He hugged her to him, " Terrified. We have to think up a meeting place afterward."

She nodded and they began to make plans. They agreed to meet at a motel. They had to give up their home, that would be the first place their friends would look-if they had any friends left.

_This could be the last time Abigail and I are together_. Lorne thought as she started kissing him again. _And I hope our friends survive. _


	24. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY THREE**

Lorne didn't want to let go of Abigail. They heard the doorbell ring downstairs.

" That's Spike, gotta go." She said but he only tightened his grip on her.

" Lorne," she said, " I know you don't want me to go, but I'll be fine. Spike will be with me. I don't know exactly what we'll be doing. Angel's giving us our task soon. I will meet you at our meeting place. I promise you."

Lorne nodded and they kissed deeply before going downstairs to meet Spike.

" Hey," Spike said as he walked in. He looked at them and raised an eyebrow, " So you two had fun last night,"

" How did you know that?" Abigail asked.

" He's a vampire, he knows." Lorne replied dryly, " We spent the last night as if it were our last," he poured himself a scotch and drowned it. He needed something for the task he was about to do.

" Let's go and get this over with," Abigail said taking her sword. She hugged and kissed Lorne goodbye.

He watched as the two of them left. His cell phone rang and he answered it.

" It's time." A voice told him. He flipped it shut and headed out himself.

Spike and Abigail met Angel at the office.

" First off, I'm not wearing any amulets. No bracelets, broaches, beads, pendants, pins, or rings." Spike said to Angel.

" Fine. All you need is a rattle," Angel replied.

" Ah, the baby," Spike said,

" And a legion of the Fell Brethren," Angel added.

_Flashback to three of the Fell Brethren waiting in the lobby outside Angel's office before signing the contract to adopt the baby._

" I want the kid returned to his mother and the foster family dismembered."

" I can't fight all those members. I'm no pro at fighting, " Abigail said alarmed. " I know I said I'd help but-"

" You won't be fighting them. Spike will. While he's distracting them, you take the baby back to his mother."

" Oh. I guess I can do that," Abigail said relieved. They headed out.

" So…you and Lorne." Spike remarked.

" What about me and Lorne?"

" I'm just surprised you'd go back to him. After everything's he's done."

" We talked about that. We want a fresh start. Put the past behind us and move on. Spend the rest of our lives together. That's why we're quitting."

" Quitting what?"

" This. Fighting the good fight. We just don't have it in us anymore. We're not fighters, especially Lorne." She paused, " Which is why this the last time I'll be seeing you Spike."

Spike stopped walking and turned to face her, " What do you mean?"

" Well, Lorne wants us to go somewhere where Angel or the others can't find us. He just wants us to live our lives together-alone. We only need each other."

" And you're okay with that? Not ever seeing your friends again? Me?"

" Yes," Abigail said but Spike noticed she had hesitated.

" Well, I don't like the idea. I'll miss you." He admitted.

" I'll miss you too but it what we both want." Abigail said and hugged him.

" And you must know by now how I feel about you," Spike added.

" Yeah I know. I've always known but it can't ever happen."

" It did that one time."

" Yes but never again."

" Why is it I fall for girls I can't have?" Spike sighed.

" Old habits die hard. Let's get going."

They headed out to the lair of the Fell Brethren. The baby is cooing in his crib.

Spike peered into the crib. " Hello junior. The name is Spike. This lady here is Abigail." He picked up the baby, " And lucky for you I'm on a strict diet." He handed the baby to Abigail and they turned to see three of the members standing before them.

" Place the holy vessel back in the bassinet," one of the members said.

They ignored him and Spike began to fight with the members. Just as Angel had planned, the members were distracted by Spike. Abigail was able to slip past without being noticed, holding the baby in her arms.


	25. Epilogue

**Epilogue **

Abigail left the apartment building after handing the baby over to his mother-a very grateful mother. She walked out and headed for Sunset Motel, the place she was supposed to meet Lorne. She glanced at her watch, it was close to ten pm.

She walked a little faster, when she heard footsteps behind her, it was a man. She tried to run but another man blocked her way. The man behind her walked closer as more men joined him. She backed up against the wall. She was surrounded.

" What's a little lady like you doing walkin' around at this hour?" the first man leered as he stood in front of him.

" I was meeting someone," Abigail replied.

" It looks like you're going to miss that meetin'," the man said and lunged at her but she thrust her sword out but he dodged her attack. One of the other men grabbed it and threw it aside as the first man grabbed her shirt and stared into her eyes.

" Think I'll have me some little fun," she could smell the alcohol on his breath.

" Leave me alone!" she said and raked her fingernails across his face, leaving angry looking scratches. He growled and grabbed her hand.

" I'm gonna to teach you for doin' that," the man snarled, showing his crooked, dirty teeth. He bit down on her index finger and gave it a yank, tearing the tip part off. She screamed with pain and felt blood trickling through her fingers. The man spat the part out and punched her in the ribs, causing her to fall to the ground. He kicked her in the ribs again. She could taste blood in her mouth and she coughed, nearly choking on it. The first man laughed and another man joined in, his fist connecting with her temple. A wave of dizziness washed over her. _They're going to kill me, _Abigail thought just as blackness consumed her.

Lorne treaded carefully as he walked around the former Sahrvin lair. The bloody bodies of the demons littered the floor. Lorne's stomach churned as he takes it all in.

Lindsey washed his hands in the sink. " Those guys were chumps."

" Now they're chunks," Lorne replied. Demon strength or no, you're quite the master swordsman."

" Well, I couldn't have done it without that high note in MacArthur Park," Lindsey replied.

" Slays 'em every time," Lorne said, glancing at his watch. Abigail should be done by now and was waiting for him. " I hope Abigail is okay," he muttered.

" Abigail? Oh, you're girlfriend. I heard about you two." Lindsey said, " Very unusual paring. A human and a demon. But it must work, you've been together for…four years?"

" Four and a half." Lorne replied. He put a hand in his pocket and felt his weapon. His stomach churned again.

" Any word on the rest of the team?" Lindsey asked.

" For all I know, we are the rest of the team. I haven't heard squat,"

" That's weird,"

" They'll call," Lorne said.

" No, I mean me saying "team" and meaning it. I kind of like the feeling,"

" Yeah, today."

" You and Abigail really done with them?" Lindsey asked.

" It isn't our kind of work anymore. It's unsavoury."

" Gee, I think it's just getting interesting," Lindsey said.

" Yeah, I bet you do." Lorne replied.

" You don't trust me. You don't think a man can change?"

" It's not about what I think. This was Angel's plan."

" Come on. I can sing for you," Lindsey offered.

" I heard you sing," Lorne replied then took out his gun and shot Lindsey twice in the chest.

Lindsey stumbled back, looking down at his wounds, "Why—why did you..."

" One last job. You're not part of the solution, Lindsey. You never will be."

" You kill me? A flunky? I'm not just... Angel...kills me. You don't... Angel..." Lindsey sighed and his body went limp.

Lorne sighed and looked down. For the first time ever and only that time, he hated Angel. He hated Angel for making him do this.

" Good night folks," he muttered as he walked out.

TO BE CONTIUED.


End file.
